Merlin The 'Saucerer'
by jaqtkd
Summary: An extension/sequel to my modern AU fic 'Kilgharrah's' plus a couple of flash-backs! This time we follow Merlin during his whirlwind romance with Morgana whilst neither of them are being entirely honest with the other, and Uther is being very ... Uther!
1. Worrying

**Merlin The 'Saucerer'**

_(no, it's not a spelling mistake!)_

_This fic is an extension/sequel to 'Kilgharrah's' my T rated, modern au fic. I've tried to acknowledge that some readers might be coming into this without reading 'Kilgharrah's', but I really think you'll enjoy it more if you do. _

_This is set in our future, although the world is not especially different. Comps or Mini-Comps are basically the future version of our smart phones with the obvious addition of being credit cards too._

_Merlin was a prodigy child chef and is currently the anonymous young owner of the highly popular restaurant 'Kilgharrah's'. One evening Arthur and Morgana Cornwall turn up with their dates, but quickly start flirting with Gwen and Merlin instead._

_This fic starts on the afternoon before Merlin's first date with Morgana; just before Chapter 4 of 'Kilgharrah's' but is entirely from his point of view._

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><p><strong>Worrying <strong>

"Gwen, you have to help me," Merlin pleaded as he walked into his best friend's room late on Monday afternoon – ignoring the fact she was in the middle of her music practice.

"What's the matter?" she asked in a concerned voice as she carefully placed her flute on it's stand.

"I have no idea what to wear this evening?" he complained.

"Oh, Merlin, honestly," Gwen replied with a laugh.

"What? I mean … is it just a photo-shoot? Is it a date? Should I dress up? Smart casual?"

"What did Morgana say to you the other night?"

"That she'd take some photos and then we'd have something to eat." He frowned. "She sounded a bit worried about presenting me with food, actually."

"Well, of course she did and that's without her knowing that you're a genius chef." Gwen grinned broadly at him, whilst Merlin raised his eyes to the ceiling as he thought about all the reasons why this was a very bad idea.

"Please, Gwen. I really need your help."

"Oh, alright … let's see what you've got?" Merlin gave his friend his very best grin, grabbed her by the hand and lead her back through their shared sitting room into his flat next door, where Gwen was greeted by the vast majority of Merlin's wardrobe strewn across the bed and the floor.

"Seriously?" she asked as she surveyed the mess.

"Please?"

"You really are trying to impress her, aren't you?" Gwen commented with a grin.

"But, she wants to take photos of me, I mean …" He still couldn't get his head around it. He knew his strengths and he had quite a few, but he'd never considered his looks as being one of them.

"Best to keep it simple then," Gwen replied rummaging through the pile. "A pair of plain slim fitting jeans and top; dark colours, I think."

"Or I could put a white shirt under a dark top – just in case?" Gwen turned back with another grin, but this one was decidedly wicked.

"Perhaps it doesn't matter what you wear," she said gleefully. "Perhaps she wants you to model naked!"

"What?" Merlin turned around so quickly in shock that he nearly tripped over. "You don't really think …?" Gwen started laughing even harder and he belatedly realised she was teasing him. "Oh, thank you, Gwen," he grumbled sarcastically. "That's really helped me to relax now."

"Sorry." Although she didn't sound it. She had selected a top and trousers and threw them at him. "Here. The good thing is that these are smart, they'll show off your skinny figure really well, but don't look as if you've tried too hard to impress."

"Ah … thanks. I thought you always said I was _too_ skinny."

"I just can't work out how a chef can be so thin, that's all, and I know you don't starve yourself."

"It's magic," he said with his usual charming grin and Gwen raised her eyebrows in response to the old come-back.

"Talking of which. How much are you intending to tell her tonight?"she asked.

"As little as possible," he replied, pulling a face. "First date I've been on in over two years, don't want to scare her off straight away."

"Or impress her so much that you don't know whether she's after you or your restaurant?"

"Yeah," he replied with a large sigh. He started to change his clothes, despite Gwen still being there. She just smiled and moved towards the door, apparently turning her back on him. Nowadays they really were 'just good friends' and generally respected each other's privacy, but he was fairly certain he caught her glancing in the mirror as she walked past it, hesitating slightly as he stripped off his T-shirt and trousers before putting on the selected clothes. Merlin grinned as he caught her peeking, not at all concerned. It wasn't if he hadn't done the same in the past.

"So, you're pretty certain Morgana and her group were all Oxford graduates then?" Gwen asked as he continued to dress. Despite the unwritten rule that advised against employees of Kilgharrah's accepting dates from customers, Merlin had been totally helpless in the face of the stunning dark-haired beauty who had pinned him against the side of the balcony, fished his Comp out from his back pocket and practically propositioned him on the spot.

"They certainly seemed like the types, didn't they? A new experience for a Cambridge boy like me, anyway."

"Not that one's university should make any difference," Gwen replied haughtily.

Anyone of importance in Britain these days attended one of the many colleges within the Oxford or Cambridge universities. However, the two cities had developed such different philosophies regarding education over recent years, that there was now a very strong rivalry between the two which could sometimes come over as prejudice. Gwen was quite right, of course, when he and Morgana had been flirting on that balcony on Saturday, the very last thing on Merlin's mind had been which university she'd studied at.

He then remembered that Morgana hadn't been the only one from table ten making overtures towards the serving staff that night and turned to his friend with a sudden wicked grin.

"So, have you heard from Arthur recently?" Gwen turned to glare at him now that he was fully dressed. He saw her eyes flick over his clothes critically even as she responded to his question.

"Regularly … he's going to have sore fingers with the amount of messages he's sent me over the last two days."

"A Dark Blue and a blond. New territory for you too."

"Honestly, Merlin, neither of us can boast enough experience to be scientific about it. Just because our grand collective total of five previous dates have all been Cambridge brunettes does not make either of us anti-Oxford or anti-blonde."

"True, but then, you liked that other guy on table ten too?" he continued and she smiled shyly back.

"They were both very handsome in very different ways." She smiled more gently as she looked him up and down again. "As are you." Merlin could feel his cheeks turn pink as she said it. "She'll be very impressed."

"I think you're biased. Do you really think I'm doing the right thing, Gwen? I mean after ..."

"There's no point pretending that you're debating it, Merlin," Gwen continued. "You've been in mourning long enough."

"Gwen!"

"What? It's been almost two years and you can't keep saying that Freya was the only one for you, whilst constantly complaining to me that you're still a virgin."

"Hey!"

"Well, you do and you can't have it both ways."

"I suppose but ... it's not just about Freya … it's about 'Kilgharrah's' too and ... well, it's hard to separate those two things in my head now anyway." Gwen nodded in silent understanding. Within months of Freya's death, Merlin had lost his beloved father too and, by default, instantly became the sole owner of the two restaurants, along with all the responsibility that went with the role.

"It really wasn't fair," Gwen sympathised. "For you to suddenly have to take care of all of this, whilst being in such pain."

"I suppose in some ways it helped."

"So you keep saying, but I just think it prevented you from fully facing your emotions. Fully dealing with the grief." He pulled a face at the comment. "Don't get me wrong, I think you're doing a wonderful job here, Merlin - we all do - but ... you need a life."

"I love the restaurant and I love all of you ... my family, but I don't need ..."

"No, Merlin. I know what you're going to say and you're wrong. You do need someone to love. I mean proper 'relationship' love, not just 'friendship' love."

"I was actually going to say that I don't need complications but ..." He shook his head. "I think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. It's just a photo-shoot and a meal. That might be it."

"Perhaps but, if you get a chance, feel free to invite her to my party on Thursday, won't you?"

"Oh, okay." He suddenly looked at his watch and yelped. "Oh no, look at the time. I said six o'clock, I'm going to be late."

Gwen raised her eyes to the ceiling. "So, what's new?" He quickly grabbed his Comp and a jacket and started to head out. "Have you got _everything_ you might need tonight, Merlin?" Gwen's question had a curious weight to it and he turned to give her a suspicious look.

"What do you mean?"

"Here ..." She moved forward holding out a couple of small foil covered packs towards him.

"Gwen!"

"What? She might not want you naked for the shoot but, from what you've told me about her so far, I'm pretty sure she'll be wanting to get those clothes off you at some point tonight."

"No. I've told you, not on a first date … I mean, even if this is a date, which it might not be. I just … I can't. Not with all this responsibility and …"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Merlin, just take the condoms, will you?" She moved forward and actually stuffed them into the front pocket of his jeans herself.

"Hey, watch where you're putting your hands."

"Might as well get used to it." She paused, biting her lip as she contemplated something. "Do you think two will be enough?"

"Gwen! You're not helping one little bit, you do know that, right?"

xoxOxox

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><p><em><strong>AN** So, just a short little opener to get us started. Thank you for all your lovely reviews and requests to extend 'Kilgharrah's'. I can't really call this a sequel as we're currently overlapping that story from Merlin's pov before moving onto an actual sequel, whilst occasionally flashing back to observe some of Merlin's past. What? You did ask for it! ;)_

_Many of these ideas have been in my head for a while, some even before I'd finished publishing Kilgharrah's, but it was only when I was trying to think up a new M rated Mergana fic (because there are nowhere near enough) that I realised that I already had a ready made situation and that, by making this an M, I could explore exactly what happened between Merlin and Morgana during their dates in more detail!_

_As usual I've been debating how much to write before publishing but again, as usual, have decided to get it out there fairly early on so that I can get a little feedback and motivation from all my lovely readers. Please let me know what you're hoping to see and I'll do my best to oblige, within the constraints of the plot I have so far.  
><em>

_Jaq  
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	2. Desiring

**Chapter 2: Desiring**

After all of the commotion over his clothes, Merlin ended up outside the main door to Morgana's building almost half an hour late.

"Sorry," he apologised, as she answered the intercom. "I really do need to work on my time keeping skills."

"That's fine, I was a bit late back from work anyway," came her worryingly calm reply. Merlin bit his lip as the door buzzed for him to push open and quickly looked at his Comp to confirm the flat number.

He walked up one flight of stairs and found himself outside the correctly numbered door which immediately swung open before he had a chance to knock. Merlin nearly gasped out loud when he saw Morgana standing in front of him, her long, dark hair falling in loose curls over her shoulders and drawing his gaze automatically down to her low cut green top. Highly embarrassed, he moved his eyes back up to hers - a far brighter green than he'd remembered - and his heart beat faster from that sight than from the more suggestive one.

"Come in," she said, sounding incredibly calm, even though her eyes were quite obviously scanning him intently. He had no idea why so many girls seemed to find him attractive as he was sure he wasn't – not compared to Arthur or Morgana's date from Saturday … and he still hadn't been able to work out why she'd even noticed him at all when there was someone like _that_ sitting right next to her. However, he had seen the way she had looked at him that night and the way she was looking at him now, and even he couldn't deny what he was seeing. That she was attracted to him would have been obvious enough just from her body language, even if it wasn't for the strong hum of energy that he could feel crackling between them. Very strong, in fact.

Could she have some innate ability too?

"Didn't know what to wear, and didn't know how to ask that question of a photographer without it sounding a bit weird," he said, attempting a relaxed grin. He saw her eyes scan him up and down again and her lips turned up into the very smallest of smiles.

"Well, if you don't mind coming straight through ... the light won't last that long." His heart pounded with nerves again as he followed her toward the door on the left, it's surface covered with so much art work and clothes hooks that he was quite convinced that she was taking him into a cupboard.

"Okay, but I'm still not sure about this. As I said before, I'm not the typical model type." It was in fact a fairly large room. A second bedroom, probably, although it was currently set up as a photo studio, its walls covered with pictures – obviously hers. At first glance it all looked very impressive.

"I know enough people with those sort of looks," she replied waving at the same pictures. "I'd rather have something a little different." Merlin found his eyes drawn quickly to a familiar handsome blond portrait and he grinned as he thought of what Gwen's reaction would be to that sight. Perhaps he could ask for a copy?

"Ah ... the prat. He photographs rather well, doesn't he?" he said instead.

"The camera loves him and he loves being in front of a camera," Morgana replied in a slightly bored tone.

"Don't see that other fellow here ... oh, blind date, you said?" Like he hadn't latched onto that the instant she had told him!

"Lancelot is a sweetie," she replied, "and probably well worth photographing at some point but ... if I can avoid another date with him I will."

Merlin couldn't believe how relieved he felt as she said that, although the curiosity was certainly there too. "Oh?"

"Not my type. Will you sit on that stool, Merlin? Don't look so nervous, I'm not going to bite." He _was_ nervous and, if he had been so attracted to Morgana, there was no way he would have ever agreed to something like this. "Well, not this early on in our relationship anyway," she continued cheekily as she looked into her lens.

"Huh?" Merlin squeaked and she pressed the shutter as he did so, grinning broadly at him afterwards. He dreaded to think what that shot would look like. She then asked him to turn a little to the left, tip his head up, down. Stand up, sight back down, although she did talk to him too. How much of the questioning was small talk in order to get some reaction from him, and how much she was genuinely interested in, he didn't know, but he hoped she was distracted enough by her task not to notice just how evasive he was being as he talked about Kilgharrah's. His restaurant was everything to him – his whole life and he knew nothing about her yet, which meant that he couldn't risk telling her anything of importance. Couldn't risk his cover being blown.

"Ah well ... you know how it is with big business? ... keep it in the family ... do a favour for a friend? The university clans etc. ... I suppose it was always inevitable I'd get roped in at some point," he said. "What about you?"

"Much the same, by the sound of it? I work in management ... boring really. The Pendragon corporation, you know?"

Which meant he'd made the right decision. His heart fell on hearing the news, even as he tried to brush it off with a joke. "Ooh, the enemy ... fascinating. So, if you're working for the Pendragon clan then I suppose we were correct in guessing your group to be Dark Blues on Saturday."

"You label your customers?"

"Oh, come on, who doesn't?"

"Yes well, Lancelot had already told us that you were mostly Light Blue if we couldn't have guessed from the attitude."

"Says the girl from the Dark side?" Merlin scoffed.

"What?"

"Sorry, Cambridge joke." The rivalry between the two universities was really rather silly. He knew a number of people who would be genuinely shocked about him being here with an Oxford educated girl. As prejudices about race and disability had faded to practically nothing, brand new prejudices had emerged to take their place. Was it too much to hope that the human race would ever improve?

"Was it our imagination or where there rather a lot of university types working there?" Morgana asked him then.

"Probably more than at somewhere like Camelot," Merlin replied. "Seriously, as you probably know, Cambridge hold all the arts in high regard – believing that, in learning them, students are well rounded individuals. Whereas, the Oxford Dons seem to think that the road to success can only be reached by exclusively studying the academic subjects and leaving art in all it's form to the masses."

"I suppose that's an improvement on the day when Art was only for the elite?" she suggested.

"Perhaps but, by not taking them seriously, Oxford's devaluing them anyway. Which brings me to my one burning question for the night?"

"Oh?"

"What is a true Dark Blue like you doing dabbling in _photography_?" She giggled and his heart soared. He knew his sense of humour took a little getting used to, but that fact that she seemed get his jokes instantly made him feel that they may have more in common than their backgrounds might initially suggest.

"I happen to agree with the Cambridge model actually," she replied a little haughtily. "I always have. I was just too scared to go against my family."

"I can't imagine you being scared of anything."

"You'd be surprised. So, what's your art?"

"Seriously?" She gave a confused shrug. "Catering?" She couldn't have worked that one out?

"Oh, that's how you got started. Did you used to work in the kitchens then?"

"Yup. Prodigy child chef."

"No! Ah, why are you out front now then?"

"Oh, I'm not always. Another of Kilgharrah's philosophies ... which is again a Cambridge one, of course. Variety is the spice of life etc., etc. We all work at least a couple of jobs, some take it very literally. The young man on the desk Saturday?"

"Yes?" said Morgana, interested.

"Gwen's brother, Elyan."

"Really ... ah, our waitress Guinevere, right?"

"Yeah, but only ever Gwen to her friends. Anyway, Elyan deliberately does six different jobs – says he gets bored otherwise. He's sometimes maître d', does preparation in the kitchens, barman upstairs or down and croupier at the casino. Gwen's much the same; barmaid, croupier and our most popular waitress – as you probably gathered." He looked up at her just as she clicked the shutter but, this time, instead of a small approving nod, her eyes suddenly widened and she stared at her camera in disbelief – obviously looking at the digital viewer that she had set up on her very traditional camera.

"Oh my ..." she breathed.

"What?" Merlin asked nervously.

"We might as well stop on a high note," she said, signalling over and he got off his stool to stand next to her.

"That's never me?" He was genuinely stunned at the image he saw before him. It was him but then again, it wasn't quite. He shook his head in confusion.

"And you said you weren't the model type," she said as she started to pack up her equipment. Merlin hoped he wasn't turning too pink.

"Well, the genius photographer that can make some skinny little no-one into ... well ... that, deserves some food cooked by the genius chef. Can I have a riffle in your cupboards?" he asked, heading towards her small kitchenette.

Morgana gave a delighted laugh, and it took a moment for Merlin to realise what he'd said. Thank goodness he hadn't said 'drawers' that would have been even worse.

xoxOxox

Merlin found it a nice challenge to cook a meal from a random set of basic ingredients. It reminded him of his competition days when they were often asked to improvise a menu live in front of judges. Nowadays he could hand pick the very best, most expensive ingredients, and take months to come up with new menus. This, however, was fun, despite Morgana seeming quite concerned about him cooking on his day off.

He loved seeing people's reaction to his food. Not that he had ever considered himself a show-off. In fact, everyone always seemed surprised when they met him and said how modest he was considering his very great talent. No, what he really loved was making them happy, seeing them slowly savour his food and enjoy the often new experience of the special way the different flavours could melt on their tongue. So, he perhaps used his extra talent a little but only very subtly, just enhancing or exaggerating the flavours that were already there - sometimes making it so that one flavour would have a delayed reaction and wouldn't be tasted until several seconds after the others.

"I'd ask you what the Kilgharrah's secret is," Morgana said, as if reading his mind, "but I suppose you're not allowed to say?"

"I could tell you," he replied seriously, "but then ... I'd have to kill you." She smiled at him again and his heart attempted a somersault. Seriously, this had to be a dream. How could anyone that beautiful be so obviously attracted to him? Was his worst fear justified and she had somehow found out exactly who he was and was trying to get him to divulge his company's secrets by seducing him?

He suddenly became aware of the small packages in his pocket and squirmed slightly on his seat at the very thought of making love to the beauty in front of him. His eyes flicked from her own gaze to her lips as she took another taste of his food and back to her low cut top, his over active imagination quickly trying to guess what she would look like without it on, or without anything on at all! He wriggled on his seat again, but for quite a different reason this time. It was all very well for Gwen to suggest these particular jeans, but she wouldn't have had any idea at how uncomfortable tight they were becoming right now. He really should have worn something baggy.

Morgana asked a bit more about how he'd managed to cook such food with what he had and he automatically replied with his usual 'it's magic' line. Sometimes telling part of the truth was a great way to avoid having to tell the whole truth. Still, he was happy enough to tell her some things about his past.

"Well, that's what they said when I was a kid. I was quite the child star ... 'Merlin with the magic touch'. I was famous for my sauces." He looked up at her with a sly grin, knowing she'd appreciate this next joke. "Merlin the 'Saucerer'. It has a nice ring, don't you think?"

"Oh, that's awful," she groaned as he laughed at the look on her face. "Where did you grow up anyway?" she continued "I can't place your accent it's just sort of Celtic." Merlin grinned at the description.

"That just about sums me up, yes. Welsh mother, Irish father, a couple of Scottish grandparents and a bit of Cornish in me somewhere too. Then, of course, I travelled around so much as a child, that my accent got all jumbled up."

"I like it." Her smile and the compliment was enough to have him squirming in his seat again.

"Thanks. What about you?"

"I've an Irish mother, as it happens. Well, we've both that complexion, haven't we?" He was relaxing a bit now, pleased that he was finding out more about her. Pleased that she was talking to him, enjoying his company and apparently genuinely interested in the answers. He was looking forward to finding out even more about her when they were interrupted by the doorbell, and his heart fell when he realised that it was her date from the other night and that she was obviously going to let him in.

His insecurities started to surface again. Fine when he was the only male in Morgana's general vicinity but now this Lancelot would be there too, surely she would see exactly what she'd turned down on Saturday and quickly change her mind.

Although, she did seem genuinely annoyed by the interruption which gave him some very small hope that their evening might not be over quite yet. She gave him a slightly apologetic shrug and opened the door to let the handsome man in.

"Sorry, Morgana, it's just that I felt I had to come over and apologise in person about Saturday and talk to you to see exactly where we are and ..." Lancelot suddenly noticed him and he frowned slightly. Merlin gave him a smile and a nervous half-wave. "Ah, you didn't say you had company."

"Well, you didn't exactly give me the chance," Morgana replied. Yes, she did sound quite a bit annoyed by the interruption.

"Ah no, I suppose not but I thought, on a Monday evening …?" He turned back to Merlin again and frowned. "Sorry, have we met before? You seem somewhat familiar." Merlin just smiled, wondering if Morgana would introduce them or if Lancelot might even remember for himself. "Oh, it's you ... from the restaurant ... with the joke about the stocks."

"Oh, how my star has fallen," said Merlin falling back on his usual security blanket when feeling under pressure – his rather bizarre sense of humour.

"But ... I was ..." Lancelot looked between Merlin and Morgana, a slight frown marring his handsome features. "I felt the need to come over to apologise for flirting with that waitress all night Saturday."

"Ah, the delicious irony," Merlin replied, genuinely amused.

"Well, I spent some of the evening flirting with the waiter," Morgana replied, waving an arm in Merlin's direction. "So, I guess that makes us even?"

"So, you don't mind if ... ah, if we don't go on another date? Only, well my father said that your father insisted." She raised an eyebrow. "Not that I would object, of course," he finished apologetically.

_Must be a dream, _Merlin thought. _Far too good to be true._

"I could fight you for her if it makes you feel any better?" he said out loud, "but, by the looks of you, I'm fairly certain I'd loose."

"Ah ..." said Lancelot, still confused, and Merlin exchanged a look with Morgana and was delighted at how amused she seemed by the situation.

"Hang on ... which waitress were you after?" Merlin asked, suddenly realising what Lancelot had said about flirting.

"Guess," said Morgana with a wry smile and Merlin groaned. That did not make things much easier for Gwen. She liked both of them and they both liked her.

"What is it with that girl? Honestly, she's a sweet as anything – never chases after men, never leads them on and yet they all just swarm around her like moths to a flame. One night in a restaurant and two guys both ditch their stunning Oxford beauties to ask her out." He felt a flicker of panic as he said it. Had Morgana fully registered that? Was it a bit … much? He'd only said what he was thinking but, luckily, she seemed not to be reacting so he followed her example and pretended he hadn't said anything of importance.

They continued to exchange surprisingly pleasant pleasantries which resulted in Lancelot asking Merlin to pass his number onto Gwen too. Honestly, the poor girl waits months for a date and then two come along at the same time. He tried not to openly grin at his own joke.

"Now, it really is great that we're all being so 'Cambridge' about this situation," Morgana said, "but, I invited Merlin here for a shoot and he's cooked me a meal – Kilgharrah's style – which, as I'm sure you can imagine, I'm loathed to let get cold."

"Really?" Lancelot's eyes fell on the table greedily as Morgana pushed him towards the door to usher him out. The pair exchanged a couple more whispered comments which Merlin decided he didn't want to try and eavesdrop on, and instead turned back to continue his meal.

"So ..." he said as she sat back down at the table and tucked greedily into the rest of her dish. "Where were we?"

"You were saying how sensible Gwen was for not allowing herself to get picked up at work," Morgana answered with a grin.

"I did say that, yes," he replied. "However, I didn't say that _I _was sensible."

"I'm very glad to hear it. Now, tell me ... Saucerer. What can you do with that bar of expensive chocolate I have in my fridge?"

xoxOxox

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><p><em><strong>Next Time: Chapter 3 - Succumbing:<strong> The M rated version of Merlin and Morgana's first night together._

_**A/N. **__Okay, __so much of this is repeating 'Kilgharrah's', but last chapter's reviewers seemed pleased to be seeing the story from Merlin's pov so I'm assuming the rest of you don't mind either. I always wanted to show what he was thinking in 'K's' but didn't know how to do that without giving away spoilers. As you can see, Merlin's actually a lot less confident than he made out. _

_I'm done quite a bit on this over the last few days and now have the various plot points roughly placed into chapters. As usual, I'm starting to put this information on my profile page so feel free to take a look if you want to see what's coming up. If you're new to this universe, you will also find a link to the photo that got Morgana so worked up and had much the same effect on me when I first saw it.  
><em>

_Do let me know if there's something from Kilgharrah's that you'd like me to explore in this fic. I've got the basic story structure sorted now but there's still plenty of room for extra sub-plots. I will reply to any comments/questions too so feel free to leave a review or PM._

_**30/09/11**. Series 4 starts tomorrow! Yeah!  
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	3. Succumbing

**Chapter 3: Succumbing**

So, another fun improvisation task, creating a desert from random ingredients and, yet again, Morgana seemed very impressed. Rather too impressed actually, although Merlin suspected she was exaggerating her reaction a little and using it as another excuse to flirt with him.

She would take slow careful spoonfuls of the desert, placing each in her mouth with great care, licking her lips seductively as she swallowed and even making small groaning sounds as the flavours fully hit her taste buds.

Merlin's heart starting to pound as he watched her and he was quickly reminded of his bad choice of trousers again. He tried to concentrate on eating his own portion - which he had to admit that it was quite acceptable considering, but certainly not delicious enough to be causing quite the extreme reaction Morgana was currently displaying. Still, he couldn't find the will to look away from her as she ate. It was very, very seductive the way she continued to place the spoon slowly in her mouth, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, exposing her beautiful white neck as she did so. Merlin licked his lips too but it wasn't the chocolate he was thinking about tasting right now and, to make matters even worse, he suspected that Morgana knew exactly what all of this was doing to him. The next time she put the spoon in her mouth, she caught his eye and licked it very slowly, and he was quite certain that it wasn't the utensil she was thinking about doing that to. He almost groaned out loud at the thought.

No, he couldn't. No matter how tempting, no matter how much he wanted to. Not yet, not tonight, not when he really didn't know her as well as she should and not when he still wasn't entirely convinced it was the right time, no matter what Gwen said about the two years that had gone by.

He had been distracted enough that he hadn't really been focusing on his own desert and so, he was slightly surprised when she suddenly grabbed the spoon out of his hand, took one final large scoop out of his bowl and moved it quickly towards his mouth.

"Hey," he objected. "This is a work of art. It should be savoured, not scoffed."

"Eat," she said, pushing the spoon at him so quickly that he had to eat it or end up with it all on his chin. Then, with his mouth still full of desert, Morgana leaned forward and kissed him.

He had been daydreaming about this every since Saturday night, although having a mouthful of chocolate wasn't exactly making it as easy to enjoy as he would have wished. As he tried to swallow the desert, she was moving her tongue against his lips and he wanted to swallow it quickly now, just so he could kiss her properly. Suddenly that was all he could think of, any worries about where this might lead, what her intentions might be or whether or not he was actually ready, now a distant memory.

"'s m-my dessert ..." he mumbled against her lips.

"I'm not just after the chocolate," she replied, her breath now catching a little and, finally, he managed to swallow the last of the desert as his hormones decided to totally ignore his brain and just go for it. The most beautiful girl he had ever known was kissing him – was there really any other logical response? He kissed her back, opening his lips to allow her in and responding with his own tongue. He could taste chocolate, brandy, a subtle touch of fruit … a slight tang of wine, even though she hadn't take a sip for several minutes. Trust him to be distracted by such things.

She stood up then, grabbing his jumper and pulling him up with her and he was suddenly desperate to get as close to her as possible. So, he actually took the initiative for the first time, pulling her flush against him, close enough for him to feel her breasts through his thin jumper and certainly close enough for her to feel exactly how turned on he was right now. He pressed his hips against hers even more, as one part of his mind decided they were both wearing far too many clothes and the other part tried to remind him of the only thing that was more perfect and beautiful than the woman currently in his arms.

_Kilgharrah's._

"Morgana ... wait …"

"Don't want to. Just want you." Then she pressed herself against him, circling her hips expertly and driving him crazy as a result. He couldn't, he mustn't. There was too much at stake to risk.

"Yes, but ... perhaps we should slow down ... you know, get to know each other better before ...?"

"You and your magic spells?" she muttered.

"What?" _Did she know?_

"That chocolate and this ... thing you're doing to me," she replied and he laughed at the irony. Was that the truth? Was she really as confused about what she was feeling as he was?

"Believe me, it's not all one way. It's having much the same effect on me," he confessed.

"Except you want to talk instead. I'm sorry, but isn't that the girl's line?"

"Morgana ... it's just that ... I've always promised myself that ..." He sighed as he looked at her and licked his lips. "Look, I don't even know your last name – your age - anything about you really." One last attempt to find out more about her or perhaps even put her off him altogether. Either would be easier and far less complicated.

Nodding at him, she stayed exactly where she was, arms wrapped around his shoulders, body still close to his, allowing her breath to ghost against his lips as she spoke. "I'm Morgana Cornwall and I'm twenty three. For my first photography exhibition I'm going by the name of Morgan le Fey ... just in case my Oxford obsessive father hears about my little 'hobby.'" She tipped her head slightly indicating that it was his turn.

"Merlin Wyllt," he replied, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. "I'm twenty five next month." It wasn't working, he just wanted her so badly.

"What else do you need to know about me, Merlin Wyllt?" she asked with such a strong English accent that he couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sure, not long ago, I had loads of questions but then … then you ate my desert and ..." He lowered his head and started to kiss her again. Perhaps it didn't matter. Perhaps he could have it all? It wasn't as if he was suddenly going to spill all his secrets if they made love, was he? Surely he had more self control than that.

Self control? What self control? He had started kissing her gently but, slowly and surely, the passion was beginning to mount again. She had one hand in his hair now, stroking and caressing, whilst the other was now in his back pocket, enthusiastically kneading and squeezing as she pushed him even closer against her. He encouraged the move, both hands now on her hips, pressing against her with a strong, suggestive thrust. She gasped at this, breaking the kiss as she dropped her head back and he quickly moved to start kissing her neck instead. Then he was the one to gasp as her hands slid confidently under his jumper and explored his bare skin, whilst he started to kiss lower still, heading confidently towards her breasts.

She stopped him before he reached his ultimate goal, lifting his head in both hands so that she could gently kiss his lips. Then she took one of his hands lightly in hers and, with a gentle smile, moved him towards the other door … the one on the right … her bedroom.

The doubt returned.

Nothing to do with promises or secrets or precious restaurants, and everything to do with his total lack of experience. He knew what to do, of course - he assumed - and his body certain seemed to know what it wanted too, but he seriously doubted that she was a virgin and he couldn't help but worry that she would somehow know that he was. More importantly, he was currently so turned on that he had no idea how he was going to last more than another five minutes.

Unless, of course, he cheated.

Well, he might as well use the one advantage he did have and, while he was at it, he could perhaps employ a few other tricks. If he could add a few extra taste sensations to a sauce, then he was fairly confident he could introduce a few other interesting sensations to a person – especially if he could get really close. Something which, apparently, was not going to be a problem.

Morgana pulled him into her room, swung him gently around and closed the door with her back. He just stared as he tried to focus his magic into his own body, calm himself down, and think about what he needed to do next.

Then she took her top off and any clever plans were quickly forgotten as he quickly stripped off his own jumper and moved forward to kiss her again. It felt like her hands were trailing sparks across his bare skin but he hardly had any time to get used to that wonderful sensation before her hands moved lower and she started to quickly undo his jeans.

Suddenly remembering, he dug into his pocket to fish out one of Gwen's gifts even as Morgana pulled him sharply towards her bed. Unfortunately, the combination of his jeans now being half way down his legs and his general lack of grace, was enough to have him trip and fall forward, pushing her onto the mattress first with him landing on top of her.

"Someone's impatient," she laughed good naturedly, but Merlin was now too far gone to worry about explanations or lack of dignity and simply started to kiss the nearest bit of skin whilst throwing just a little bit of his 'sensation' magic at it at the same time.

The cry of delight Morgana gave at this was enough to have him snap his head up in surprise.

"W-what did you do then?" she gasped, wriggling in delight below him.

"You like that?" he asked, suddenly more confident, and bent down to kiss her neck with the same little magic push.

"Merlin!" She almost screamed his name and his confidence grew further.

"Too many clothes," he muttered as his hands encountered her lacy bra.

"Yes," she agreed, sliding her hands confidently under his boxer shorts giving him more thrilling sensations than he'd ever thought possible. There was then some frantic wriggling and laughing as the last few items of clothes were hurriedly removed even as they continued to kiss. Then he was lying naked on his back and she was kneeling to one side of him, eagerly scanning his body. He eyed her nervously, wondering whether his skinniness was appealing to her. "Wow!" she murmured and he relaxed a little, lifting his head slightly to look at her naked form next to him. She was so beautiful.

"Yeah ..." he breathed.

"Anything interesting in your hand, Merlin?" she asked suddenly, starting to prise open his strong grip with a smirk.

"Ah?"

"Allow me." He kept his eyes on her face as he heard her open the packet and move a little lower down the bed. He gasped as she touched him, closing his eyes and calling on any spare magic he could find to try and stay calm for just a little while longer. He was so nervous now, but at least his tricks seemed to be working on both sides and so he tried to act as if he knew what he was doing; quickly sitting up, lowering her down onto her back, climbing between her legs, and pushing just a few more sensations at her.

"Please ..." The tone of her voice surprised him - she was literally begging him to continue. He smiled in response, and her eyes widened as she saw his expression – a combination of delight, desire and another emotion that he couldn't quite identify, and then he was inside her and from that point on he wasn't really sure how the word 'control' could even exist at all.

They were not being very quiet. The shy part of him thought they should probably try to be a little more reserved and that this fairly small flat probably was unlikely to be very sound proof. However, he was now focusing his special brand of magic between her legs which meant he was getting a dose of it too and, on top of that, he was experiencing other sensations – a quiet, subtle spark flashing between them which had him even more certain that he'd found someone like him, someone gifted – even if her skills were dormant and probably not yet fully realised.

However, near the end, he was so lost in the total bliss, that he could think of nothing but Morgana and her warmth and her kisses and her eyes, now more black than green, sparking with subtle gold and her less than subtle desire for him. He gasped her name out over and over as he climaxed, burying his face into her amazing ebony curls and wondering why he'd ever thought that this might be a bad idea.

xoxOoxo

Afterwards, he simply gathered her into his arms and fell asleep but he wasn't used to sharing a bed and was quickly awake the next time she moved. He took the opportunity to get up and use the bathroom before padding naked to the kitchen to collect a glass of water. As he arrived back, he found Morgana tossing and turning, apparently dreaming and smiled at the sight. However, as he got back under the covers he heard her muttering, a frown on her face and realised that her dream wasn't as pleasant as he'd first thought.

"Merlin … sorry … _so_ sorry ..." Her tossing became a little more frantic.

"Hush, I'm here," he whispered, gathering her back into his arms. "It's alright … just a dream ..." He pushed a few calming sensations towards her as he said it, stroking her hair with one hand and gently kissing the top of her head as she buried herself against his chest.

"Merlin ..." This time her voice was quieter, calmer and full of affection, and he couldn't help the delighted shudder that ran through him at the way she'd said his name. Within minutes he had fallen asleep again.

He didn't sleep much, constantly aware of her every movement, even whilst being reluctant to move away to the other side of the bed. He just wanted to hold her and kiss her, no matter how much his body was desperate for sleep. However, he was woken up more forcefully a few hours later by sudden movement next to him, as Morgana sat up with a gasp, pulling most of the covers with her. It was still dark outside, but her table light had been left on and he could see her face, pale and afraid and he remembered her earlier nightmare and wondered if it was a frequent occurrence.

The reality of Merlin's surroundings and exactly what had happened earlier sunk in and he stretching in pleasure at the memories, a shudder of delight running through him as he remembered how it had felt to make love to her. She was watching him as he did and he saw her shudder slightly too.

"You alright?" he asked.

"God, why do you have to do that?" she asked in a slightly irritated tone.

"What?" His heart fell as the reality of the situation began to dawn on him. He'd suspected it last night but now he was sure it was true. She was going to tell him it had all been perfectly pleasant, thank you, and that she might see him around sometime ... but then again, maybe not.

"Be so totally irresistible." The reply confused him, but didn't make him feel any better.

"Don't tease me."

"I'm not ... I just …" What had she dreamt about? Did this have anything to do with the power he'd sensed in her last night?

"Morgana, what is it?" He also sat up, running a finger along her bare shoulder and she gasped again. No, that was a good reaction to his touch, not a flinch. "I'd think you were regretting it except, I know that's not it – not considering how hard you've been chasing me."

"And do _you_ regret it?" The tone of her voice had changed to the one he was more familiar with, her eyes now sparkling, and the attraction he was sure he'd observed earlier appearing to have returned. His body reacted instantly to that look.

"Hardly. In fact …"

"What?"

"I was just wondering if you could manage another course?"

"Merlin!" Her initial surprised look quickly turned sly. "You are full of surprises, aren't you?" she said suddenly moving forward to kiss him. As she did, she quickly threw the covers off them both and moved to kiss his neck. Then she started to move her lips lower and lower, kissing, sucking and licking as she travelled downwards and he moaned as he anticipated her ultimate destination.

xoxOxox

They were both rudely awakened by the sound of her intercom buzzing.

"What's the time?" Merlin muttered, aware that the sun was now streaming in through the window.

"Nine thirty," Morgana replied as she got out of bed. Merlin licked his lips as he enjoyed the brief view of her naked body before it was covered up by her robe. She walked out to find who was calling whilst Merlin lay back on the pillow with a contented smile on his face. He honestly had to be the luckiest man alive right now. It had been even better the second time around – he wouldn't have thought that was possible. However, a moment later she was running back into the bedroom in a panic. "You can't be seen here!"

"Why, who is it?"

"Please?" An angry ex-boyfriend? A current boyfriend? He internally winced but tried to stay calm.

"Of course."

Morgana scuttled back into the main room and he quickly clambered out of bed, fairly certain that she didn't want her visitor to know about him or what they'd been up to. He determinedly put all selfish thoughts aside and scanned the room with a frown. This would never do … their clothes were everywhere, the bed a total mess.

"What's the matter? Why are you home at this hour? Are you ill?" A man's voice sounded clearly from the next room. An older man, he guessed, perhaps her father? That would certainly explain her panic. He sighed.

Merlin rarely felt the need to call on his magic for dramatic stuff. Apart from anything else it tended to have a rather negative affect on him and he had already used quite a bit during the night. He sighed, concentrated on the feel of his magic and the world around him, and gradually slowed down time until it had practically ground to a halt.

He moved quickly despite this, both so that he didn't have to hold the spell for too long, and because he knew the problems powerful spells could cause for him. Not bothering to dress, Merlin gathered up all of their clothes and crammed them into the emptiest of the drawers on the window side of the wardrobe before hurriedly and roughly making the bed – it wasn't as if it had to look very neat, after all. As his eyes flicked around the room he noticed his things on the side table and quickly slid his watch and Comp into the drawer and put the glass of water in the cupboard. Then he opened her reasonable sized wardrobe and checked the space – moving a few things around to ensure he could fit comfortably. With a brief satisfied nod, he moved back towards the bedroom door, his ear close to the gap and quickly released time. He instantly felt dizzy and held a hand against the door, willing the sensation to go away.

"Why didn't you tell me you were ill?" The man was now saying. Up until this point he hadn't heard her voice at all. "Morgana ...?" Merlin grinned at the scolding tone and nodded. _Definitely her father._

"What?" Her voice was louder now and there was a defiant tone to it which just made Merlin smile even more, despite the awkward situation.

"What have I said about your reputation and the damage that rumours can do?" Merlin's eyebrows went up in surprise. Was he just really old fashioned or was there more to all of this than he'd first though.

"I am _not_ a child," she retorted. "I do not need to explain my actions to you."

"Taking time of work for some sort of dalliance? Don't deny it. If it were a sanctioned relationship then you wouldn't be creeping around on a week day."

"Sanctioned relationship?" she retorted, echoing his own surprise at the choice of phrase. "Can you hear yourself?"

"Who is it, Morgana? Who have you got in there?" The man's voice suddenly got closer and Merlin muttered a swear word under his breath and quickly and quietly entered the wardrobe, closing the door quietly behind him and pining himself into one corner. He could hear little initially - didn't even know for certain that the pair had entered the room but, after a moment, he sensed that someone was coming close and then, suddenly, the wardrobe door opened.

Merlin closed his eyes and pushed his thoughts out to the man in front of him. He knew he had the ability to control people's actions a little, but had never really explored just how much he could do in this regard. It wasn't exactly ethical after all. Anyway, here all he had to do was just confuse the man a little, make him convinced that his hand had explored every corner of the space when, in fact, he'd ignored the left side of the wardrobe all together. The hand withdrew, the door shut and Merlin let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"Well?" said Morgana, sounding quite calm, despite the fact that she must be highly confused by now. How was he going to explain this one away?

"I had to be sure, you were acting rather suspiciously after all."

"Well, if you don't mind? I need to get ready for my appointment and then ... work."

"Are you sure you're not ill?"

"There are reasons why a woman has to go to see her doctor, you know? Things that we don't usually feel the need to discuss in detail with our family?"

"Ah ... yes, right ... of course." Merlin grinned as he heard the embarrassment in the man's voice along with Morgana's confirmation of the nature of her relationship with him. There was a few moments of silence before he heard her again, her voice now quiet and confused.

"Merlin?" He walked out of the wardrobe, suddenly wishing that he'd remembered to put some clothes on. "But ...?" Despite her obvious confusion, he didn't miss the way her eyes greedily scanned his body, which gave him an idea of how to get out of this tricky situation.

"What?" He asked calmly, trying to appear totally nonchalant despite his current state of undress.

"How did you ...? Where are the clothes? Where were you?"

"The advantages of being skinny," he said casually as she shook her head in silent denial, knowing that there was no obvious way he could have hidden in there. "The clothes are in here," he replied, opening up a drawer in the nearby cabinet and telling himself off for a slut as he deliberately bent over in order to give her a very interesting view. He heard her catch her breath and grinned at his success.

"Merlin?" She was still confused but now, he thought he could hear something else in her voice.

"Yes?" He turned to face her, placed the clothes on the bed and again, casually, calmly sauntered towards her, smiling openly. Her eyes widened further.

"How ...?" He moved forwards with a smile.

"You are _so_ beautiful," he said and silently celebrated as he saw her gasp a little at the compliment. He moved even closer and kissed her, whilst her hands quickly touched his bare back and then travelled even lower. Unfortunately he didn't think he had any energy left to distract her with magic but, apparently it wasn't needed. When he finally released her all traces of confusion had gone from her eyes, to be replace by pure desire. "So, rather overprotective father then?" he asked lightly.

"Yes," she breathed, again looking him up and down. "Do you reckon we've got enough time to …?"

"What? Again?" he squeaked.

"Why not?" she replied with a wicked grin, her eyes flicking downwards. "You appear to be more than ready."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 4: <strong>**Recollecting. **Merlin and Gwen gossip about his night with Morgana and we find out the reason for Gwaine's 'Only for You,' line.

_**A/N **__I hope that was the right amount of 'M' for you. Let me know what you want to see later as there are a number more of these types of scenes coming up and your feedback will determined how much of their relationship I actually 'show'._

_As much as you seem to be enjoying Merlin's pov of the K's story, I hope you're excited for a chapter 4 full of entirely new stuff?_

_Visit my profile page for links to the photo that inspired this fic and an idea of the pronunciation of the Ll in Wyllt. I've also included a link to an image from Saturday's 'Merlin' (spoiler free) that had me so excited as it gave me a ready-made picture for chapter 5 of 'King Arthur's Ward'. _"It's the kitchen, Camelot's kitchen and ... there's Cookie!" _ Honestly, I was rediculously excited to see her on the show itself!  
><em>


	4. Recollecting

**Chapter 4: Recollecting**

Merlin returned to his flat late morning, with less than an hour to go until the weekly meeting with his board members. It was only after the door had closed that he realised how exhausted he was; eyeing his bed greedily and wondering if he could perhaps manage a short nap before the meeting was due to start. However, almost as soon as he'd had this thought, Gwen's familiar knock sounded on the door to their shared sitting room and he sighed, not quite sure how he felt about the imminent conversation with his best friend.

"Have you only just got home?" she asked gleefully as she entered, dressed in her waitresses outfit ready for the Tuesday lunchtime shift. Her brown eyes were wide and excited in anticipation of the expected juicy gossip.

"Ah … yes ..." He was finding it very, very difficult to keep a straight face. Gwen looked at him closely and giggled.

"And … did you get _any_ sleep last night?" she crowed.

"Not very much, no ..." He tried very hard to glare at her but he knew it wasn't going to work – within seconds he was grinning broadly and her eyes had widened even further.

"Well?"

"Oh God, Gwen, it was amazing! Honestly, I had no idea it would feel that good," he blurted out, all pretence at seriousness abandoned.

"Really? No awkwardness or … worries or anything?"

"Not really … not after the initial nerves, no."

"So much for your 'first date' promise," she gloated. Well, he'd known she was going to tease him for that.

"I did try very hard to resist her but ..." He shook his head. "Honestly, it was never really likely." Gwen giggled again and leant forward, biting her lip very slowly. Merlin saw the glint in her eyes and worried what she was going to ask next.

"And did you need both of them?" He frowned for a moment before realising what she meant.

"Oh, yes … I mean no … I mean ..." He felt his cheeks flame.

"Merlin?"

"Let's just say it was a good job she had some too."

"No!" she breathed. "Really? How many times?"

"Gwen!"

"Well?"

"You're going to be late for your shift," he said in a stern voice.

"Merlin," she complained. He raised an eyebrow and attempted to glare at her. After a few more seconds she sighed. "Yes, boss." But she gave him a cheeky wink as she left the room nonetheless.

xoxOxox

As Gwen left for the restaurant, Merlin went down the other flight of stairs to the board room. He rarely worked the restaurant during the lunch shifts, using that time to deal with the boring part of actually running the company. Well, no, that was a little unfair. He actually enjoyed all aspects of his work, but he was never more happy then he was when dealing directly with his customers as Maitre d', or working in the kitchens, creating food – his one true passion. He was just grateful that he had so many wonderful friends, family members and employees that could delegate to, allowing him to keep his hand in in all aspects of his restaurant. Although, as various people often pointed out, that was probably why he was so successful – making him even more empathic towards his employees and understanding the nature of their jobs far more than most restaurant bosses did.

He'd hoped that splashing his face with cold water and a quick cup of strong coffee might just have woken him up enough to not get questioned about the dark circles under his eyes but, unfortunately, there was one person attending today's meeting that was even more highly tuned to his moods then Gwen. Merlin had barely set foot inside the door before he felt a hand on his head and was being bombarded with numerous questions about his health that he was initially given no chance to answer.

"Mum! I'm fine. I just didn't sleep much, that's all," he managed eventually.

"Have your nightmares returned?" Hunith asked, concerned. After Freya and Balinor's death, Merlin had truly discovered the meaning of the word 'insomnia'.

"No, nothing like that just … just one of those things … honestly," he said. Hunith gave him a sceptical look as Gwaine entered the room.

"You look like hell, mate," the Irishman observed as he sauntered casually past them.

"Look, I'm fine – alright? Just a bit tired."

"Are you sure you're well enough to continue?" Gaius contributed, looking up from his chair and Merlin threw his arms wide and his raised his eyes to the ceiling in frustration. He could hardly say 'L_ook, I'm just tired because I've been having sex and using my magic all night.' _Not in front of his Mum, the closest thing he had to a grandfather and the biggest lady's man in London! He winced, even as he thought it.

"Look, I'll catch up on my sleep after this but, right now, we've more important things to worry about, namely the Pendragon Corporation." The door opened once more and Merlin smiled as the last member of the party arrived.

"Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright, Tom, we haven't started yet," Merlin said with a smile at Gwen's father. "Take a seat."

"I was making good time," Mr. Leodegrance said as he took his place, "but then I got another call from Uther and … well …" He shrugged.

"He's actually still talking to you?" Gwaine asked with a laugh.

"Of course he is. He's still trying to persuade me to sell him my 'Kilgharrah's' shares. He doesn't understand why I'm holding out."

"So?" Merlin asked. "Is he going to back off?"

"This is Uther Pendragon we're talking about," Tom continued with a shake of the head. "So he won't give up that easily."

"So, what now? I'm fairly confident that the sixty percent hold we have is safe – that everyone holding them is loyal to me but … if Uther keeps pushing them, if he resorts to dirty tricks …?" Merlin sighed.

"And it doesn't even need that, unfortunately," said Gwaine. "If he keeps making these offers, keeps convincing his investors that we're in trouble then that's going to devalue the shares we do hold and that's just going to make things even more difficult for us."

"What the hell is he playing at?" Merlin slammed his hand on the desk in unusual frustration. "Why is he doing this? Is it personal, somehow?"

"Merlin ..." Hunith moved forward and placed a gentle hand over his. "It'll be fine. He's just a stubborn man. He decided he wanted Kilgharrah's and then, when his initial plan was foiled, he took it as a personal insult."

"She's right, he does that," Tom agreed. "He's saying the same to me. 'I thought I had your loyalty' - 'I thought I could rely on you to do what's best' ... Uther's like that. He didn't get where he is now but giving up after every little set back."

"So, what can we do?" Merlin could hear the desperation creeping in to his voice and hated it. He knew he was young but he was supposed to be in charge, this was _his_ restaurant and he just felt so helpless in the face of such aggressive tactics and lack of reason.

"Actually, I did have an idea about that," said Gwaine with such a relaxed tone to his voice that all heads instantly snapped toward him. The Irishman had his usual smirk plastered on his face now - arms folded across his chest as he swung lazily from side to side on his chair. Merlin noted the look and tipped his head curiously.

"Gwaine?"

"How about we start buying up a few of Camelot's shares? See how _he_ likes it?" Slowly Merlin returned his friend's broad grin.

xoxOxox

"What were you planning to do before the evening shift?" Hunith asked Merlin seriously afterwards.

"Ah well, there was some paper work I needed to do and some supplies I need to order," he replied.

"And, I'm assuming that all the information is in the usual place in your office and that I won't have any trouble dealing with it?"

"You? I don't want to keep you if you have to get back home."

"I don't have anything more important than ensuring my son's health."

"Mum," he complained.

"Go upstairs. Sleep. You can't deal with all these Pendragon issues if you're dead on your feet." He sighed and nodded his agreement although, to be honest, he'd never really had any intention of kicking up a fuss. However, there was one more thing he did need to deal with before he left.

"Gwaine, a word please."

"Yes, boss?" the Irishman replied with a raised eyebrow, somehow sensing that Merlin was planning to talk to him about business, despite their close friendship. He and Gwen both did that, he realised – could somehow tell which 'Merlin' they were about to deal with, even if the young man was convinced he didn't try to lord it over them at any point.

"You have some contacts in the promotion business, don't you?" he asked. Morgana had talked to him that morning over breakfast about how she'd wanted to show her photographs off in public, but had no idea how to go about doing that without her Oxford family finding out.

"Merlin, mate, I have contacts in _every_ business," Gwaine quipped back.

"Good. I'm looking to talk to someone who deals in art; photography in particular. One of those promoters that arranges for works to be displayed at various social venues?" Gwaine raised a curious eyebrow. "No, no questions, Gwaine - this is purely off the record. I just want make a few quiet enquiries."

"Spoilsport," he said, with no real rancour in his voice. "You know that it's as good as done."

"Thanks."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Mum's covering for me this afternoon and I'm just going to crash out upstairs for a bit."

"I suppose it's too much for me to hope that this tiredness is due to you being out on the razzle last night?" Gwaine asked then.

"Now, that wouldn't be like me at all, would it?" Merlin replied with a small smile, leaving his friend staring after him with a rather curious look on his face.

xoxOxox

The following day, Merlin made his way over to 'The Green Knight' mostly to help finalise a few details for Gwen's birthday party on Thursday night, but also for a general chat with his friend and research assistant regarding a number of business issues that they were dealing with at the moment.

"Drink?" Gwaine asked as he entered the main bar.

"Coffee would be good," Merlin answered.

"Just coffee?"

"It's not even lunch time yet, Gwaine."

"I never did understand why some things are supposed to be restricted to certain times of days."

"In your case it's so that you don't actually end up drinking for twenty-four hours straight," Merlin retorted with a smile. Gwaine grinned back and asked his barman to bring the drinks in before taking Merlin back into one of the smaller rooms that he used for his office.

"Found you a promoter," Gwaine began.

"Oh, thank you."

"Her name's Morgause and I've got her details here if you want them."

"Yeah, thanks," Merlin replied, handing over his Comp.

"You don't need me to handle it?"

"No, that's alright." He definitely didn't feel up to having a discussion with Gwaine about Morgana quite yet. "That was quick - how do you know her?"

"Ah, a friend of our old 'friend' Cenred."

"Really?" Merlin was surprised at that. "I still can't work out how you managed to get friends and acquaintances from that encounter. I mean, I still keep expecting the men in white coats to come knocking at my door."

"If anyone repeated what happened here that day it would be them being carted off, believe me," said Gwaine with a shudder.

"Fair enough. Well, thanks for this."

"Only for you, Merlin," Gwaine replied reverently. "After all, I owe you my life ... quite literally."

_(Eighteen Months Previously)_

_The pair were sitting in main bar area of The Green Knight shortly after closing with Merlin, looking even more pale than usual, nursing the double Scotch that Gwaine had just poured him. For once there was no laughter or humour in either man's eyes - Gwaine simply watching his young friend with a highly concerned look on his face._

_"Are you going to drink that, mate? It won't do you any good if you just look at it." Merlin automatically took a small sip and pulled a face at the taste._

_"This stuff's only any good for cooking with," he complained._

_"Merlin, that's blasphemy! That's one of the best Scotch whiskeys that's ever been produced." The young man's lips twisted slightly in an rather poor attempt at a smile._

_"I can't believe he's gone, Gwaine. What am I going to do?"_

_"Carry on. That's what we all have to do in such situations."_

_"I don't think I can. First Freya, now Dad?" He shook his head, determined not to cry in front of Gwaine._

_"There's not much more I can say. I can say it will get easier, I can say the pain will lessen but I know that's not what you want to hear at the moment."_

_"Mum's saying he's left it all to me in his will. Both restaurants - the whole business - everything."_

_"Well, I know how that feels," Gwaine sympathised and Merlin looked up, suddenly realising the co-incidence._

_"How old were you when you inherited this?"_

_"Not much older than you so ..." He shrugged and Merlin just nodded in response. "However, you have your mother, Tom and his family, Gaius ... and you've me too. You know we'll all help out if you need it."_

_"Thanks, but I can't help thinking that perhaps one of them should take this on - I'm not sure that I ..."_

_"Merlin - look at me. Kilgharrah's is yours - from what I understand, it always has been?" He threw Gwaine a terrified look. "Hey, your secret's safe with me ... Mr. Emrys, and trust me when I say that it is a very well hidden secret so you've no need to worry." Merlin shrugged. "And you've got such talent. Not just the cooking and stuff but ... you understand your customers. That's the only reason that I can do this, you know?"_

"_What?"_

"_The only reason that I can run a pub. Alcohol. Alcohol, I understand." Merlin's grin was a little more genuine this time. _

_Suddenly the main door swung open violently and three men walked in with large smirks on their faces. In the middle was a man in his early thirties with long dark hair and stubble, who might have been described as handsome if it wasn't for his general air of sleaziness and his strange choice of leather clothes. The two men with him, rather unsurprisingly, were tall, very broad and obviously picked for their brawn rather than their brains._

_"Ah, Cenred," said Gwaine in a casual tone, although Merlin could hear the subtle tension in his friend's voice. "I was planning on calling you tomorrow, you know ... at a _civilised_ hour of the day."_

_"Of course you were, Gwaine. Were you also planning to pay me back all the money you owe me too?" _

_"Gwaine?" Merlin hissed. "You didn't borrow money from this man, did you?"_

_"Certainly not," he replied in an offended tone. "Just a little game of poker that got out of hand is all," he replied. Merlin gave an exaggerated sigh. _

_"Who's the runt, Gwaine?" Cenred asked and Merlin looked up sharply, glaring at the man for the insult._

_"Leave him alone, he's got nothing to do with this," Gwaine countered. "I'll get the money to you soon, there's not need to barge in like this."_

_"That's all very well, but that's what you said last week, Gwaine. If you can't afford to pay, perhaps I'll just have to take the pub as collateral instead."_

_"Never!"_

_"Well then, we just thought we'd pay you a visit so my boys here can ensure you don't forget me too easily in the cold light of day. Then again, considering everything, maybe it might be easier for me if you're out of the picture permanently."_

_"Wait," said Merlin. "How much does he owe you? I'll pay it."_

_"Mate, honestly. I couldn't ask that, not after everything you've been through ..."_

_"_You'll_ pay?" Cenred laughed delightedly and the two big men quickly followed. If Merlin hadn't been so cross he would have found it rather funny. "That's a good joke, kid. You going to pay out of your pocket money?" Merlin was naturally a calm and easy going person but that meant that his temper, once released, was rather formidable and this situation, combined with the grief and the alcohol, was a recipe for disaster. He knew that but could stop that anger from building as he quickly stood up to face the bullies. Gwaine followed suit, placing a gentle warning hand on his arm. Usually that gesture would have been enough to calm him but, not tonight. _

_"Shall we teach the kid a lesson too, boss?" asked the second large man, walking forward threateningly and cracking his knuckles. "Considering what we're planning to do it's probably best there's no witness." Despite the situation, Merlin found himself scoffing._

_"God, you guys actually say and do these thing? I thought it was just something that happened on television."_

_"Merlin," Gwaine hissed. "Not helping, mate." The three bullies took another step forward, before suddenly pausing as a strange breeze started to drift around the room. They hesitated for a moment before moving forwards but then the man nearest him seemed to catch something in Merlin's gaze because he halted, a genuine flicker of fear on his face._

_"Ah, boss, the kid's doing something odd."_

_"Don't be stupid, you just left the door open." The strange wind picked up and a number of beer mats lifted gracefully up from the bar and tables and started to float around the room in a gentle circle._

_"No, seriously, boss. Look at him." Merlin was standing with his hands by his side, both fists tightly clenched by his side - his eyes dark and flecked with gold - suddenly looking less like a pale, grief stricken youngster and more like a man possessed. The breeze turned into a wind, although he and Gwaine were barely affected by it. Even more objects joined the strange dance, including various snacks and their half full glasses, as the unnatural wind continued to swirl around the room, carrying everything around in a slowly accelerating circle. _

_Cenred and his henchmen started to back towards the door but, when they tried to open it to run away, they found it locked. The largest of the men started to shake the handle violently, now apparently the most scared of them all._

_"Alright kid, you win. Let us go now?" Cenred all but begged. The wind around the three was now so strong that they could barely keep to their feet, batting away numerous bar mats that were now attacking the trio like a flock of angry birds._

_"Merlin, mate ... I think you've made your point." Gwaine's voice, also sounding rather shaky, pulled Merlin out of his trance and he allowed the wind to subside, although he ensured that the doors remained firmly locked. Slowly, he advanced on the men, who instinctively tried to move away, backing into the locked doors and looking around frantically for an escape route._

_"You should have taken my offer of money whilst you had the chance," Merlin growled. "I made it in good grace, accepting that it was your right to have it. However, I do not tolerate bullies and the second you threatened me and my friend with violence you lost all rights to that debt. That money is now lost to you but, if you leave now, I can promise you that you will keep your lives. If I hear that you've threatened Gwaine or told anyone of what happened here, that promise will be forfeit." He moved even closer to them, his expression stormy. "Do you have any doubt that I will not carry out that threat?"_

_"Ah, no, kid. I get it. Loud and clear," said Cenred. "S-sorry for the misunderstanding, Gwaine. Ah, no hard feelings. If you ever need a favour ... you know ... feel free to get in touch, ah ..." The was a clearly audible sound of the lock clicking behind them and Cenred hastily yanked open the door and the three fled into the night._

_"Ah, Merlin. What exactly ... was that?"_

_"S-sorry, Gwaine but I ..." He hadn't used his magic like that for years. It was only ever that aggressive when he was overly emotional and he was now beginning to remember why. Little spots began to dance in front of his eyes and the room started to spin._

_"Merlin ...?" Gwaine came forward, suddenly more concerned than scared._

_"Sorry ..." Merlin said once more before the room spun violently and he passed out._

_xoxOxox_

_Merlin opened his eyes slowly to see Gwaine's blurred face leaning over him. He was apparently lying on one of The Green Knights many comfy sofas and, as he blinked to come accustomed to his surroundings, his friend slowly came into focus and grinned._

_"Ah, back with me, are you? Can you sit up?"_

_"Not yet. I need ... water, please."_

_"Just water?"_

_"Mustn't have alcohol or sugar after that ..."_

_A few moments later Gwaine reappeared and handed Merlin the water which he pretty much downed in one go. "After what?" Gwaine asked as if there hadn't been a pause in their conversation._

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Cookery isn't my only talent, you see."_

_"Apparently so. What _was_ that?" Merlin shrugged._

_"Magic, I suppose, although I think that's probably a rather simplistic term for what I can do."_

_"Real magic?" Gwaine asked in a shocked voice. Merlin gave him an amused look._

_"Isn't that a contradiction?"_

_"I would have thought so before tonight, yes. Only magic I know of is slight of hand and party tricks."_

_"Yes, but some of them really do have the skill, as do most hypnotists. All the strange rumours of people who can predict the future, have alien encounters, survive accidents that should have killed them. Almost all of the strange, unexplained things in the world are due to little magic that's left in the world."_

_"Left?"_

_"The old stories all come from somewhere. We think, we're not sure, but the best guess is that the old tales are true and there was powerful magic in the ancient world but that nowadays, it's watered down - weakened."_

_"You call what you just did weak?" Gwaine asked in a shocked voice._

_"I probably have more ability than most," Merlin replied with a shrug. "I expect my namesake would have been able to do that in his sleep. However, I don't tend to do mad things like that very often because ... well you've just seen why."_

_"That's why you fainted?"_

_"Yes. I do use it, but tiny things usually, things most people wouldn't even notice. Tonight though - what with ... everything. I lost control of my emotions and ..." He shrugged. "Sorry."_

_"Nothing to apologise for," said Gwaine. "Cenred's been looking for an excuse to get rid of me for years. I had no idea that he was behind that game of poker. I was set up, of course - the cards were stacked in their favour and he wanted me to loose so he'd have a good excuse to ruin or kill me."_

_"Why?"_

_"Old family rivalry. Something to do with our fathers." Gwaine shrugged. "Still, thanks to you, it looks like he'll back off now and ... well, I owe you my life, Merlin."_

_"Oh, I'm not sure about that ... I mean ..."_

_"Seriously. What I said about helping you? Never mind a few passing favours. My spare time is now yours, free of charge, as is all my knowledge and all my contacts. Anything you need, anything at all. You only have to ask."_

_"Gwaine, I can't ask that of you. I just helped a friend out, I would have done the same for anyone."_

_"Of course _you_ would, mate, and the only reason I'm offering is because it _is_ you." He grinned. "That and the fact that, right now, I'd far rather be your friend than your __enemy."_

_"Gwaine!" Merlin laughed shaking his head. "Are you sure you've no-one else coming after you because, I meant what I said about the money. I will help you out if you owe anyone else but ... only if you promise not to get into any more of these fixes."_

_"I'm not sure I can say 'never' but, if you promise to keep watching my back I promise to turn over a new leaf and watch out for yours too."_

_"Okay. I could certainly do with your help. Your knowledge and contacts, as you say. Look, are you sure I can't give you an actual job? Research Assistant or something?"_

_"Love the title, mate," Gwaine said with another broad grin, "but, I'm not taking wages, not after what you just did."_

_"You can have a place on my board though."_

_"Why do I feel like you're rewarding me for getting into trouble?" He asked with a wince._

_"Perhaps I'm just making sure I can keep an eye on you?" Merlin joked. "Do you promise you'll be more careful in future?" The Irishman pulled a face. "Gwaine?" He sighed._

_"Okay, Merlin but ... only for you."_

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 5: Impressing.<strong> It's Gwen's birthday party and Merlin's friends are highly impressed when he brings Morgana along as his date.

_**A/N**__ So it was Tuli-Susi who first asked me about the origin of that 'Only for you' line in 'Kilgharrah's' and I had to come clean and say that I had simply needed something for Gwaine to say to Merlin that Morgana and you guys might recognise later and would give a clue to who Merlin really was. In fact, when I first typed 'only for you', in my notes, I also added. 'It's an important line so probably needs to be better.' but, I never did think of anything else._

_I'm updating my profile page regularly and listing the chapters and other information on this fic there, if you're interested in such things. I'm currently working on two parts of this story at the same time - finishing off the Merlin pov section, as well as working on the sequel part - which is a bit weird._

_7/10/11  
><em>


	5. Impressing

**Chapter 5. Impressing**

"Hi, Merlin. Can I come in?" Gwen asked, peaking her head around his front door. It was Wednesday afternoon, just before the evening shift at the restaurant and Merlin was sitting at the small desk in his sitting room, folding origami dragons to decorate the various dishes they would be serving tonight.

"Of course, Gwen. How's it going?"

"Fine, thank you. I ah ... I invited Arthur to the party tomorrow."

"I assumed you would. What about Lancelot?"

"Merlin, what do I do about this? I mean, should I really have asked them both?"

"Gwen, they understand the situation – they know that you've just invited them to your party as guests - nothing more. At least then you can get to know them both properly and make an informed decision."

"I suppose but ... I think I already have," she admitted with a sigh.

"Oh?"

"Although, you're probably right - judging someone on a couple of phone calls and several messages is probably not the right way to go about it."

"Arthur?"

"How did you guess?"

"I don't know. Personally I think I'd get on better with Lancelot but ..." He shrugged.

"He's just so ... serious."

"And Arthur isn't?"

"Oh, no. Not at all," she disagreed fervently. Merlin shrugged, surprised at the confident answer, but then, he hadn't exchanged more than a few sentences with either of the two young men so, who was he to judge. "I'm just so nervous about meeting them again, Merlin."

"Now you understand how I was feeling on Monday."

"Have you heard from Morgana?" she asked with a sly smile and he grinned broadly.

"Yes, we've talked and texted a bit," he replied, concentrating on the dragon and knowing he'd turned pink despite his attempts to remain calm.

"It's so nice to see you happy, Merlin," she said but he just pulled a face.

"I still think it seems too good to be true."

"I know what you mean," she agreed.

Gwen went downstairs to get ready for her shift straight after that, which meant that Merlin had time to phone the number Gwaine had given him and pass Morgana's contact information onto Morgause. He'd thought carefully about what to say to the promoter and how to phrase the request, trying to ensure that, by the time the message got through to Morgana, there would be no easy way of tracing the person who recommended her. She might guess it was him but Merlin would rather she didn't. He wanted to do this favour for her, even if their fledgling relationship came to nothing but, right now, he would rather she didn't know just how rich and well connected he was or how many favours he was able to call in at such short notice.

xoxOxox

Merlin was only five minutes late to pick Morgana up on Thursday and was surprised and delighted when she quickly came up to him as she opened the door, stood on tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. He returned the kiss for a minute or so before offering her his arm and escorting her downstairs to his fairly modest car. He may well be rich but he could think of far more important things he'd rather spend his money on than showy cars. Such things were not at the top of his list of priorities and driving something 'normal' helped him to keep up the pretence of being a simple maître d' of a high class restaurant rather than its very wealthy owner.

His nerves about his first public date with Morgana were quickly eased as they walked into The Green Knight and he realised that his friends were quite obviously impressed on seeing who he was with tonight. Mary flashed him a cheeky grin from behind the bar and a few other casual acquaintances gave him a friendly smile with raised eyebrows before quickly whispering to each other, their amused glances constantly flicking towards him.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Merlin?" the bar lady asked as he ordered their drinks.

"Ah, of course, Mary. This is Morgana ... ah ..."

"I'm his girlfriend," Morgana supplied with a friendly smile and Merlin felt his heart pound. _His girlfriend? Really? _He turned to her open mouthed and she gave him a cheeky wink in return. They quickly found Gwen, surrounded by a number of well wishers, and Merlin took Morgana by the hand and pulled her along with him, making their way through the crowd with smiling apologies to those they nudged as they pushed past.

"Hi Gwen, happy birthday," he said, giving his friend a very enthusiastic kiss on the cheek and handing over his present. "You remember Morgana from the restaurant on Saturday, don't you?"

"Oh, but of course I do," she replied, with a slightly too enthusiastic and knowing smile for his liking.

"Happy birthday," Morgana said, handing over the present she'd brought.

"Oh, but, you didn't have to ... I didn't mean for you to. I just - sorry ... that really was very kind of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Unfortunately, my brother was rather too big to wrap," Morgana continued with a grin, "but I expect he'll be along later anyway." Merlin couldn't help but laugh at Morgana's joke whilst Gwen looked initially shocked. She quickly recovered, however, and turned to glare at him instead.

"Yes, I can see why you get along with him," she said to Morgana, now also smiling slyly. "You've the same very annoying sense of humour. Does Arthur know that you two are seeing each other?"

"Ah no," Morgana replied, as Merlin glared back at Gwen, knowing she was getting her own back. "That's likely to be ... interesting." She winced a little as she said it and turned nervously to Merlin. He had to admit that he wasn't looking forward to that encounter either. Goodness knows how protective Arthur would be over Morgana and he had little doubt that the blond would be highly unimpressed by his sister's choice of date.

Gwen opened Morgana's present and kept her close to her as she did, even as others of her friends started to gather around. Suddenly, Merlin felt a hand grab his shirt and he was quickly hauled out of the crowd to find himself facing a grinning Will and Elyan.

"What?" he asked.

"Is that your ... date?" Will asked.

"Ah, yes."

"Seriously?" Elyan queried.

"Yeah, thanks for that, guys," Merlin replied sarcastically, even though he wasn't entirely surprised by their surprise. "Apparently we share the same sense of humour."

"Sorry, mate. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant ... wow!" Will enthused.

"Ah, yes," Merlin agreed with a sheepish smile.

"So?" Elyan asked.

"What?"

"How long have you known her? How far have you got?"

"Just since Saturday and I'm far too much of a gentleman to divulge such information."

"No way!" Will exclaimed.

"What?" asked Elyan confused. "That usually means, no."

"Yes, but I've known Merlin even longer than you and his eyes are definitely saying yes."

"Merlin?" Elyan asked in an awed voice, but he was barely paying attention now.

"Ah, later, guys. Gwaine appears to be chatting up Morgana and so I'd better ... ah, you know..."

"God yeah, you better had," Elyan agreed fervently as Will laughed loudly at their reaction. Merlin moved quickly to the bar and approached Gwaine from behind which meant his friend couldn't see him yet.

"I pride myself in knowing everyone Gwen knows," Gwaine was saying to Morgana in his most seductive tone. "So I'm most put out that I've missed you before now. How do you know her?" Morgana suddenly noticed Merlin and the subtlest of smiles flicked across her features.

"Oh, I got invited by this guy I met at the weekend," she replied casually. "Best lay I've ever had ... oh, there you are, Merlin. Where have you been? I've _really_ missed you." Merlin nearly fainted on the spot. _Best lay? _She had actually said that, actually called him that? In front of Gwaine? He did his best to grab hold of what was left of his wits.

"Are you chatting up my date, Gwaine? I thought we agreed that was not allowed," he said in his best 'don't forget our deal' voice.

"She's ... your ...?" Alright, so he'd been surprised when Morgana had started flirting with him, but did it really mean that everyone else had to be too? Gwaine looked between the two, stunned for a second, before the charming grin quickly reasserted itself. "Well, good for you, mate – it's about time. In fact, I was just about to set you up with this guy I know."

"Gwaine!" Yes, he'd heard that one a few times recently. People speculating as to why he didn't seem to be going out with any girls at the moment.

"Well now, Morgana." Gwaine gently took hold of her hand and kissed it, causing an unpleasant little knot to form in Merlin's stomach. "I won't be the first person here tonight to tell Merlin how lucky he is, but there may not be so many to say the same to you. You've a treasure here, Ms Cornwall and, if you've any sense at all, you won't ever let him go." Merlin felt a sudden panic grip him. That was a far too serious line to deliver so early on in their relationship.

"Gwaine – behave!"

"Only for you," he replied, acknowledging that he'd overstepped the boundaries a little.

"I'd apologise for his behaviour," Merlin said as they moved away from the Irishman, "but I think you got the measure of him pretty quickly yourself." The very fact she'd introduced herself as his girlfriend to someone like Mary and had called him her 'lay' to Gwaine proved that she, like him, could get the measure of someone very quickly and, now that he'd had a chance to recover, he was able to see the funny side. "Thanks for that, by the way, you've done my reputation no end of good."

"You're welcome but I was, in fact, telling the absolute truth," she said seriously and he felt his cheeks suddenly burn. He'd guessed that he wasn't her first - was fairly confident that she was experienced but ... surely she was just being polite? She didn't really mean it, did she? "More to the point, if you keep looking at me like that," she continued in a whisper, "we will be giving them all first hand evidence here and now."

"W-what? What did I do?" he stammered, genuinely confused. He'd noticed that a few times recently. He'd look at her in a way he assumed was perfectly normal and, the next minute she was practically pouncing on him. If only he knew what it was he was doing, he could use that knowledge to his advantage at a more appropriate time.

Then her gaze flicked over his shoulder. "Let the tournament commence," she said with a sigh.

"Huh?" he asked, confused but she simply nodded towards to the front door and started to walk in the same direction. Merlin turned around and froze as he saw Arthur standing there, looking a little lost. The blond suddenly looked very much larger and more intimidating than Merlin remembered. He did hope the young man wasn't as overprotective of Morgana as their father had appeared to be.

"Hi, Arthur, are you alright? You're looking a bit nervous," Morgana said with a cheeky grin.

"You were able to get in without an invitation then?" he asked, ignoring the comment and turning a confused look towards him instead.

"Sort of. Arthur, this is Merlin Wyllt, you remember him from Saturday, of course?"

"Ah ..?" He continued to stare, his gaze flicking quickly between the two and Merlin tried to swallow his nerves and keep smiling. Eventually, Arthur seemed to recover and his expression relaxed a little. "Of course, ah, thanks for passing on my number to Guinevere on Saturday." Merlin breathed out, realising that this whole dating situation sort of made them even.

"You're welcome, seeing you asked _so_ nicely." He replied, unable to help himself from using a reply that he instinctively knew would annoy, whilst instantaneously regretting not trying to get on Arthur's good side. "Look, let's see if we can find the birthday girl and introduce you two properly, shall we?"

"Ah yes, but, _Mer_lin?" Arthur seemed stern and almost threatening as he said this, but Merlin somehow sensed that he wasn't quite as cross as his expression seemed to indicate. There really was more to this man than first met the eye. "I remember you commenting about your friendship with Guinevere? Saying how you always looked out for her, especially where guys were concerned?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well – I'm wondering now if I need to say the same thing to you about Morgana?"

"Arthur!" his sister scolded.

"Well, with you two here together now," Arthur continued with a shrug, "and the way you were acting on Saturday, obviously answers my question about how you knew so much about this party tonight."

"Seeing that I was the one that bullied Merlin into giving me _his_ number, I don't believe the question is at all valid," said Morgana imperiously. Arthur looked at his sister suspiciously for a moment before nodding his reluctant agreement.

"You're probably right," he said, turning back to Merlin. "I think it might make more sense to ask Guinevere to talk to Morgana about looking out for you. Now I've met you properly I think it's fair to warn you that my sister will probably eat you for dinner."

Morgana turned to Merlin with a wicked grin and he felt himself blush, understanding her amusement. "Only the last course," he replied meekly. "The others I cooked myself."

"Sorry?" asked Arthur, confused and Merlin tried hard not to grin as he quickly distracted him by moving him over to introduce to the birthday girl.

Arthur's demeanour changed again now faced with Gwen, and Merlin watched the pair fascinated for a moment before offering Morgana another drink. He imagined that it was easy for most people to make a snap judgement about Arthur and do him an injustice in the process. Not only that but, to his shame, he'd done much the same thing. It was as if he could now see exactly what Gwen had been attracted to and, for once, his friend had got the measure of someone far more quickly than he had.

Things were complicated further when Lancelot showed up and was brought over to the group which, at that point, included Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana and Merlin. To say the atmosphere was tense would have been an understatement, with Gwen looking especially uncomfortable about the awkward situation; her gaze flicking nervously between the three young men, whilst everyone tried to work out what the others were thinking. Merlin found himself more seriously tempted to use his talent to attempt some mind reading than he ever had before. However, deep down, he knew that this was something he needed to stay out of; a decision which was confirmed a couple of hours later, when he saw Gwen holding hands with Arthur on a sofa, smiling and laughing as they talked, whilst Lancelot was nowhere to be seen.

xoxOxox

Despite the distraction of looking out for his best friend, Merlin was still able to enjoy being with his own date. Morgana did not seem at all embarrassed or awkward around his friends and was being very tactile with him, taking every opportunity to hold his hand, snake an arm around his waist or sneak a couple of kisses. Merlin, despite his naturally reserved temperament, found that he didn't mind this at all any more, although, to be fair, Freya had been far shyer than him and so they had always been more discreet in public. However, 'discreet' was one word that definitely didn't describe his relationship with Morgana and he found himself quite surprised at how much he was revelling in her affectionate attention and, as much as he was enjoying the party, he was starting get impatient for it to be over so he could drive her back home and … hopefully, continue from where they'd left off on Tuesday morning. She had even asked if she could come back to his place tonight, but Merlin decided that his rather large and wildly decorated apartment would raise far too many questions at the moment and was best left until he felt ready to talk to her about exactly who he was.

xoxOxox

A little later, Merlin joined Gwaine, Gwen and Elyan with his bodrum, happily playing some Irish jigs whilst everyone else clapped along enthusiastically. He'd been amused to see the look of awe on Arthur's face on hearing Gwen's beautiful flute playing and was delighted to note that Morgana seemed to be appreciative of his music making skills too, receiving a very passionate and very public kiss as a reward.

He found himself reluctant to spend too long away from his beautiful date's company but, he supposed it was too much to ask not to expect Gwaine to collar him at some point during the evening. He sighed as he took note of the gleeful look on his friend's face and quickly realised that this was going to be even more awkward than his recent conversations with his other friends.

"I've impressed, mate. Very impressed. How did you pull that one off?"

"Very little to do with me actually, she was the one doing all the chasing," Merlin admitted.

"Oh?" Gwaine suddenly turned suspicious. "She doesn't know who you are, does she?"

"I'm pretty certain she doesn't, no."

"Exactly how serious are you about her, Merlin? Because, if you are then you really do need to be more careful about ..."

"Look, I get it. I understand why you're suspicious but that's what's making me cautious too. I still don't really get why she's been chasing me but ..."

"No, you're right, I'm sorry. That was unfair of me. As I said earlier, I know how special you really are and, from the way she quickly got the measure of me, the chances are she's got some of that magic you've mentioned and has to skill to see the real you."

"I was ... ah, sort of hoping that might be it and, actually, I think she does have some ability."

"Well, good. Now we've got that unpleasantness over and done with, you can tell me exactly how successful she's been in her seduction attempts although, watching the pair of you tonight, I think I can probably guess."

"Ah ... well, yes ah ..." He gave a slightly embarrassed grin. "I did try and find out a bit more about her first ... you know, didn't exactly trust her motives but ... as you can tell she's ... pretty persuasive." He cast a nervous look at his friend who was now grinning as if all his birthdays had come at once.

"Excellent! So, how was it?"

"Wonderful, incredible but … I cheated."

"Cheated?"

"Ah, used my magic to stop myself from coming to early," he replied with a wince.

"Nice," Gwaine replied grinning and nodding appreciatively. "Very handy."

"... and used just a little magic to enhance her senses a bit?" Merlin continued, beginning to relax into the conversation.

"It's not cheating if you're simply using the advantages God gave you," Gwaine said with a knowing smile. "For example, some lesser men might believe that I'm cheating when it comes to my talent with the fairer sex, but I'd just say they were jealous. Certainly I've never felt the need to apologise for my especially large ..."

"Gwaine!"

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 6: Discovering. <strong>Merlin stays over at Morgana's again, she has more nightmares and Arthur's morning visit leads to heartbreak.

_**A/N **__I love writing Gwaine. He has an interesting way of making me come up with lines that I'm sure have absolutely nothing to do with me! Yes, I should have pointed out way back in K's that I named Gwaine's pub, The Green Knight as a little in-joke as that was the nickname given to the Gawaine of legend. A belated well done if you had already worked it out.  
><em>

_Feel free to browse the chapter headings and summaries in my profile and make any comments suggestions about things you would like to see in future chapters. Is there something from Kilgharrah's that you want to read about from Merlin's pov or something that you would love to see after the Oxbridge Ball? I do have the rough plot of this fic sketched out now, but will happily add other things in if they fit._

_11/10/11  
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	6. Discovering

**Chapter 6. Discovering**

The party was coming to an end and the guests were gradually beginning to leave. Before Merlin took Morgana home, he quickly grabbed the chance to say goodnight to Gwen and wish her a happy birthday once more.

"I take it you're not coming home tonight then?" she asked him with a grin.

"Doesn't look like it." His answering grin was just as cheeky. "What about you?"

"What? No!" she replied in a shocked voice and then coloured. "I mean, not yet … that is ... ah … Of course I'm going home."

"Ah, you're going to put me to shame by actually sticking to the first date rule," he said ruefully.

"Certainly," she replied haughtily. "Not that this is really a date ..."

"Neither was mine ..." Merlin shrugged with another grin. "... but, you know." Gwen thumped him affectionately on the arm.

"Arthur did kiss me though," she whispered, moving closer and biting her lip in that endearing way she had.

"Really? And ..?"

"The best ever," she breathed. "Honestly, I could have sworn there was sunlight and bird song and violins!"

"Oh, Gwen," he said with a laugh. "You're such a hopeless romantic."

"Well, it _was_ romantic. It was ... wonderful."

"Good. I'm glad. Just make sure you get a proper date offer from the prat before you leave here tonight."

"Oh, stop it." She looked up and grinned. "Now then, Morgana's looking very … hungry. You'd better go before she decides to seduce you here and now."

"You're right and she's already threatened it," he agreed, giving her Gwen peck on the cheek before moving back towards his date.

"What were you two talking about?" Morgana asked.

"Mostly Arthur," he replied. "Their first kiss?" He grinned and she raised her eyes to the ceiling.

"God, he's impossible when he's in love and this time it actually looks like the real thing so … I dread to think."

"You reckon he really is serious then? Good. Gwen's smitten too. Ready?"

"I'd say," she replied, deliberately raising her voice as they walked past Gwaine who was leaning against the bar. "I need to get you naked and into my bed as soon as possible."

"Morgana!" Merlin complained as Gwaine collapsed in fits of laughter behind them.

However, by the time they'd reached the top of the stairs outside her flat, the dynamic between them appeared to have shifted. He had no idea where his sudden desire and impatience had come from, but Morgana had barely closed the door when he pounced on her for a change, kissing her deeply as he pushed her back firmly against the closed door.

She quickly overcame her initial surprise at the move and kissed him back greedily, almost instantly stripping him of his shirt. Still kissing, the pair grabbed and fought to undress each other, leaving a trail of clothes leading from the front door all the way to Morgana's bed. Merlin pushed her quite roughly onto her bed, as he continued to kiss and caress her, determined to pleasure her as much as possible before they got really serious, but she had other ideas.

"We can play more later, Merlin," she gasped as he employed his usual unique tricks whilst gently kissing her neck. "Just get on with it ... I need you inside me ... now!" Merlin groaned in delight at the comment and was only too happy to oblige.

They got even less sleep than last time. After that first impatient love making, Merlin was quite convinced that Morgana had not got as much pleasure as she should have and so quickly remedied the situation, using both conventional and magical means to pleasure her over and over until she was literally begging him to stop because she was too sensitive. After that he fell asleep, only to be woken up some time later by Morgana, curled up against his back, with one hand caressing and stroking him quite determinedly which quickly set them off again, this time taking almost an hour to very slowly build up the tension and passion between them and driving both of them crazy as a result.

Despite that, the final moments were surprisingly gentle and romantic, each gazing into the other's eyes, with Merlin certain he was seeing more than passion in those beautiful green iris' as she cried out his name at the end. He felt a strange sensation deep within him at that moment; one that only last week he thought he would never feel again. Afterwards he stroked her long, dark hair as she lie sleeping on his shoulder and realised that he was falling in love.

No, he decided, it was too late for 'falling'. He had already fallen, despite the short amount of time they'd been together and despite being convinced that he couldn't possible have such strong feelings for her when they still had not talked or got to know each other as much as he would have liked.

xoxOxox

Merlin was woken yet again but, this time it was by Morgana's voice, low and distressed, muttering next to him.

"No, Arthur … he's lying. Don't believe him … please!"

Merlin frowned, moving closer to her again and stroking her hair. "Morgana, hush, it's alright ..." he murmured in her ear.

"Merlin … we have to help … find out about Jennifer ... about the attack ..." Her voice dropped lower too quiet for him to hear before she started to grumble again, tossing and turning. "Merlin … please … trust me. Forgive me."

"Morgana." He said it more forcefully, determined to wake her. He hated seeing her so distressed even if it was just a dream. With a cry she sat up sharply. Her eyes wide and unseeing, her skin pale and sweat covered. "Morgana ..." he said again and she turned to him blinking before dropping her head into her hands. He shuffled towards her on the bed, throwing an arm around her.

"S-sorry, just a bad dream."

"I think it was more than that." She looked at him wide eyed and fearful and shook her head.

"No, honestly, just a dream."

"It was a nightmare and it's not been your first. Morgana, talk to me. Tell me what you saw." He was becoming more and more convinced that what she was experiencing were not dreams but visions. He'd had a few of those himself, although his, annoyingly, tended to happen when he was awake and often at the most inconvenient of times. However, she was now reacting in a way which seemed similar to his own incidents even though it appeared that it was something that she could not or would not admit to; she just kept shaking her head, refusing to explain. "What did you dream about? You mentioned a Jennifer?" he pushed.

"I don't know anyone with that name - I don't remember anything … please Merlin? Just hold me – having you here makes it better."

He found that rather worrying. If these dreams were better in his company he dreaded to think what they were like when she was sleeping alone. He did as she asked though, lying back down on the bed and bringing her with him, pulling her close up against her side and allowing her head to rest on his chest.

After that he had no memory of waking again until morning. Already he was becoming used to having her next to him. Either that or his body was so tired after the last week that it wasn't giving him any choice in the matter. Either way they were both woken from a deep sleep by the shrill buzz of her Comp and he muttered in annoyance as her warm presence pulled away from him as she moved to answer the device lying on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she asked in a slightly sleepy voice. Merlin felt her jump, aware of a sudden tension emanating from her. He cracked open an eyelid but couldn't see much other than her dark hair framed by the far too bright morning light coming through the window.

"Ah ... I'm afraid Mr. Le Fey is unavailable at the moment," Morgana continued and Merlin grinned, suddenly understanding. "This is his secretary speaking, may I be of assistance?" He had to admit that he was impressed at her improvisational skills so early in the morning. "That sounds very interesting ah, may I ask where the recommendation came from?" Merlin winced, burying himself deeper down into the covers. Trust Morgause to phone now when he was with her. He continued to listen to the one-sided conversation as Morgana quickly tried to arrange a meeting whilst simultaneously convincing Morgause she was the photographer's secretary. Merlin remembered that he'd only said 'Morgan Le Fey', and was interested that this seemed to have been quickly interpreted as male. He said as much to Morgana once she'd put the phone down.

"Personally, the idea that it's a man is all the more helpful to me in keeping my identity a secret," she replied.

"Of course but, for a moment, I worried that you were going to have me play the part of your 'boss'," he continued.

"I didn't want to give you any ideas," she retorted, giving a contented sigh as he pulled her closer. Merlin smiled at the thought. "I must say that I'm most impressed that Arthur went to such trouble on my account." Merlin blinked at the unexpected comment before quickly realising how she'd have come to the conclusion.

"Oh, he contacted this person for you?" he asked, deciding to play along.

"He did say he supported my photography one hundred percent, and Morgause seemed perfectly aware of our Oxford ... problem."

"There certainly seems to be rather more to your brother than first meets the eye," Merlin continued with a broad grin.

"He is a little misunderstood at times."

"Not quite as much of a prat as he appears?"

"Oh, he's definitely a prat," she replied, the amusement obvious in her voice, "but no, perhaps not as much as he sometimes implies."

"I suppose you've got work again today?" said Merlin with a large sigh. Having her lying this close to him was starting to give his body some interesting ideas.

"Yes, and I'd better start getting ready - I can't keep using doctors' appointments as an excuse for going in late. It really is a nuisance that your weekends aren't going to be free."

"I get the feeling I might be trying to take a few more Friday or Saturdays off in the near future," he said with a smile as he thought of his weekly timetable and wondered how often he could arrange to stay over.

Whilst she was in the shower, Merlin sat back on the bed and checked his own Comp for messages and sent a couple of his own. As she came out of the bathroom, he went in, although not before stopping her to indulge in a short but passionate kiss which had him seriously contemplating pulling her back into the shower with him. He grinned at that interesting thought, filing it away for future reference.

"I really am running late," she said as they eventually moved apart. "So, I'll leave the spare key card on the table for you to lock up – just in case I'm gone when you come out?" Merlin raised his eyebrows in surprise and Morgana smirked. "Don't get any ideas – you can push it back under the door when you leave." Her smile turned a little more genuine then and Merlin guessed it was her way of letting him know she wasn't deliberately being mean and he grinned back. Honestly the thought of her giving him a key to her flat after half a week of knowing each other would have been far more scary than her suggesting she gave it back.

He'd basically finished washing and was just deciding how long to remain under the water when he heard the sound of Morgana's intercom buzzing quietly in the next room and, curiosity getting the better of him he got out and moved towards the door to see if he could hear who it was.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?" he heard her ask, her voice muffled through the door. He moved an ear closer, wondering if he should use his magic, feeling slightly guilty as he changed that question to whether he should be eavesdropping at all. He heard her ask another question, too quiet to hear and was about to give up.

"I had to see you, Morgana." Arthur's voice was louder and much easier to hear. "I'm in such trouble ... well you too, apparently …" Again Morgana's words were too quiet to be heard but Arthur was practically shouting, his voice showing him to be highly stressed about something. "Guinevere ... her surname ... I just found out her surname!" Merlin froze as he heard the shock in the young man's voice. "Leodegrance. Guinevere Leodegrance."

Any concerns about manners quickly disappeared and Merlin grabbed a towel, moved back toward the door and used his magic to subtly enhance his hearing.

"What!" Morgana sounded just as shocked as her brother and Merlin wondered why his friend's family should be of such concern to the siblings.

"You know the situation, you know what's happening? Mr. Leodegrance is the linchpin to the whole of this take-over war." Merlin shook his head, fervently hoping that this was not what he thought it was.

"Arthur, keep your voice down ... we'll talk about this later." Merlin would not have heard that if he hadn't been using magic. She was deliberately trying to keep her brother quiet, worried that he might hear. Where they really talking about the Kilgharrah's share issue or something else? He was torn over what to do next. Keep quiet and try to see if they said something else, or come out and worry about it later?

"But I have to tell you about Father's board meeting the other day, he said …" Arthur was saying. Merlin decided on the latter, even as his brain tried to remember any mention of the name 'Cornwall' during any of his recent meetings about Camelot and it's share holders.

"Later ..." Morgana was glaring daggers at Arthur as Merlin emerged, with just a towel around his waist. In his distraction, he'd forgotten how that might appear to Arthur and froze as the blond turned around shocked, before looking comically back and forth between the pair.

"Oh ..." Merlin said, trying to look surprised. "I thought you'd left for work by now. Ah ... hello, Arthur."

"Merlin," he replied with a growl. "I'd ask what you're doing here this early in the morning, but I think the answer's glaringly obvious."

"Ah yes, pretty much," he said with a slight wince, turning to Morgana and working hard to act as if he'd heard nothing out of the ordinary. "Shouldn't you be going?"

"Yeah, the key's on the table. Will you lock up for me?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, I'll phone you tonight," and she moved forwards to give him a very passionate kiss. Far too passionate, considering that her brother was standing right next to them. When she let him go he noticed that Arthur's expression looked rather more shocked than angry but, right now, Merlin had far more important things to concern him. He had to find out more about what they'd been talking about and, as much as he was dreading it, he knew that following the pair was the only way to discover the truth. So, the second they left the flat, Merlin slowed down time, ran into the bedroom to dress, checked he had everything and the apartment was fairly tidy, and then let his magic go. He waited a few seconds before opening the door very slightly to find the siblings were still only halfway down the stairs.

"Leodegrance?" Morgana was saying to Arthur "It's an unusual name but ... you're sure it's the same family?"

"Come on, think back – you've met the man? Guinevere and Elyan ... it's obvious they're related." As they closed the front door, Merlin slowed time again, locked the flat, pushed the card back under the door and ran down the flight of stairs before releasing the spell. From then on it was a simple matter of him following quietly behind, confident that the pair would not be expecting him to be nearby.

"Father is furious and he says he wants to see us both tonight to discuss options," Arthur was saying.

"What is he so cross about?"

"It seems that Kilgharrah's are playing him at his own game," Arthur continued as they turned a corner. "It looks like they're now buying up Camelot's shares and planning their own take-over of _our _restaurant." Merlin groaned as his worse fears were confirmed.

"Really?" Morgana said. "No wonder Uther's mad. You know, I thought they were a peaceful, family organisation and so, I have to admit that I'm quite surprised by this turn of events."

"Yes, so was I but … I think it's their way of telling us to back off. Morgana … this is going to be really awkward. I asked Guinevere out properly last night. She said 'yes' and Lancelot seemed content to back off, but then all of this and Merlin's her best friend and ..." Arthur sighed and then stopped abruptly, requiring Merlin to quickly duck into a nearby doorway. "… What are his family connections anyway?"

"I'm not sure ... he's got Irish and Welsh roots and, well, he hasn't really mentioned his family much, but then it's a subject I've worked hard to avoid - for obvious reasons." Merlin leant his back against the wall, his heart pounding and tears threatening. Exactly who were they and how did they know Uther Pendragon?

"What was his surname again?" Arthur's voice was quiet now and Merlin realised they'd resumed walking. He waited a second before moving out and cautiously following again.

"Wyllt."

"Doesn't ring any bells," said Arthur, "but, all the same, if word gets back to them about our father then you know what they'll think ..?"

"That we're only sleeping with them for company information," she replied calmly. Again Arthur stopped walking, this time turning a stern glare in her direction.

"Speak for yourself, Morgana. I'll have you know that I've been a perfect gentleman."

The pair crossed the road to reach Morgana's office and the traffic drowned out their voices as they did so. Merlin debating following further but they were now entering the building on the other side and he quickly decided that he'd heard more than enough. He moved back a little and found another convenient wall to lean against. The world was spinning now, both due to the magic he'd used and the shock. His worse fears had been confirmed. Morgana was not only an important member of the Pendragon corporation but was quite obviously trying to get information from him about Kilgharrah's. Uther must have found out who he was and had put her onto him to spy.

He was a prize idiot! How could he honestly have thought that someone like Morgana would be interested in him otherwise? The world started to spin and a strong buzzing rang in his ears. He closed his eyes desperately, recognising the worrying signs and willing himself not to fall into one of his magical trances …

"_Merlin …" _It was always the same. A strange darkness, a pair of golden eyes and a deep voice that vibrated the very ground he stood on. A wise, ancient voice, that would occasionally pluck him out of consciousness and talk to him.

"_Merlin ..."_

Usually in riddles.

"_Kilgharrah's is in danger and … it's my fault," _Merlin explained to the golden eyes. _"I should have listened to you. I should never have trusted Morgana."_

"_You did what you felt was right, and that shows great courage, but trust is a double edged sword." _Merlin winced at the words, knowing them to be true. Morgana had lied but then, so had he.

"_I thought, because she had magic, I thought … we were the same."_

"_In some ways you are."_

"_No, I'll never be like her. I could never ... do that, hurt someone in that way."_

"_You have learnt an important lesson, Merlin. Your determination to see goodness in everybody will be your undoing," _said the voice and Merlin sighed. So many people said his kind nature was a strength not a weakness but, in the modern business world, this was probably not the case. _"But, I fear that your futures are now joined forever ..." _The voice was fading now, the sounds of the traffic and busy London street, indicating that Merlin was coming out of his trance. As he fought to make sense of his surroundings he heard one more sentence, fading into nothing.

"_She is the darkness to your light ..."_

"Are you alright?" He opened his eyes to find an old lady looking up at him, concerned by his obviously stressed state.

"Ah yes, thank you. I just came over a little faint, that's all."

"I'm not surprised. You need to eat more," she said looking him up and down critically before walking away. On any other day Merlin would have found that amusing but right now he was severely distracted. He took his Comp out of his back pocket to ring Gwaine, but quickly changed his mind, deciding that this really needed to be tacked face to face. Checking the time, he made his way over to The Green Knight on foot, trying to remember everything he'd heard during that conversation and the vision and wondering what it was that he had missed.

xoxOxox

"What are you doing over here at this time of day," Gwaine yawned. He was up, just starting to get the pub ready for a ten-thirty opening but he and Merlin rarely interacted at this time of day ordinarily.

"I need to you find out more about Morgana and Arthur Cornwall," he replied, knowing the panic in his voice was quite audible.

"Ah ..." Gwaine responded with a wince. "I'm afraid ... well, I already did ... I was going to phone you ... a bit later but ..." He looked a bit embarrassed but Merlin just shrugged, not at all surprised that someone like Gwaine would have been highly suspicious by the situation.

"Well?"

"Not Cornwall, mate, Pendragon. They're the son and daughter of Uther Pendragon. I found out about an hour ago."

"She gave me a false name," Merlin said with a groan, "and has a false Comp too. I can't believe it."

"Well, not exactly. Arthur's obviously using a second one but she really is a Cornwall - her birth name, you see, as they're only half brother and sister and ..."

"They mentioned the take-over war," Merlin interrupted, not at all interested in such excuses. "Mentioned their father and Uther but ... I thought they were talking about two different people." He sat down on the chair with a thump. "It did cross my mind that she might just be using me before but ... I had really hoped." He sighed. "I was actually beginning to think she cared."

"I'm really sorry, mate ..."

"No, don't ..." He shook his head in an attempt to dispel all the nasty thoughts that were gathering there.

"What are you going to tell Gwen?" Gwaine asked and Merlin suddenly looked up at his friend wide-eyed.

"Oh no. Gwen!" he groaned. How could he have been so selfish? In his shock he hadn't thought about how this would affect his best friend or that he was going to have to be the one that broke the news to her.

"Wait until I get my hands on that bastard," Gwaine growled. "For him to use Gwen like that when Morgana was already close to the source. I can't imagine that Uther had to work too hard to persuade him either - I saw the way he was looking at her last night." Merlin frowned, fighting with some strange emotions that he was struggling to grasp. The memory of another part of the overheard conversation surfaced; Arthur apparently scolding Morgana for sleeping with Merlin when he'd been the perfect gentleman. He shook his head, far too cross and upset to be making excuses for Arthur Pendragon right now.

"I'll talk to her after this," Merlin said instead. "Despite everything, I can safely say that I haven't said anything of significance to Morgana about Kilgharrah's and I'll check that with Gwen too." He shook his head as he continued to recall bits of the overheard conversation. "No, Arthur just seemed confused and worried. I think we're in the clear."

"Merlin, mate. I don't know what to say. I do have to help you look after your business interests but I appreciate that this is personal and … painful for you so ..."

"That's fine," he said, trying to waive the concerns aside with a flick of his hand. "At least I found out a few interesting things in the process."

"You did?"

"Arthur said that … his father had called an emergency meeting due to the Camelot shares that are suddenly being bought up. Looks like your plan is working already - they're in a bit of a panic about it, apparently." He looked up suddenly determined. "I think it's about time we got in contact with Uther Pendragon, don't you?"

"Ah?"

"I think it's time we met face to face and gave him our ultimatum. Show him exactly what happens when someone like him dares to threatens my company and hurt the ones I love."

He turned to Gwaine who swallowed hard, looking uncharacteristically nervous at the anger that was brewing deep within Merlin's expressive blue eyes.

"As I said before ... very glad I'm on your side, mate."

xoxOxox

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Regretting.<strong> _(Working title was 'Depressing' for a while!)_ Despite being heartbroken, Merlin still has work to do to ensure that Kilgharrah's stays out of Pendragon hands.

_**A/N **__Hope you liked Gwen's line about hearing violins when she kissed Arthur. I just couldn't resist that one! :D  
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_Up until this week, the sequel section only had a vague plot but I've now worked out exactly where it's going and, quite typically, the story is becoming far more involved than I'd originally planned! _

_Currently, Merlin's pov of the original story will end with Chapter 9 and the new stuff will start from chapter 10.  
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_More info on my profile page._

_14/10/11_

_(I was planning one more read through before publishing, but my internet connection's been playing up and I thought it best to just try and get this out there asap)  
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	7. Regretting

**Chapter 7. Regretting**

Merlin arrived back at Kilgharrah's a little before lunch time and found Gwen and numerous other staff bustling around the restaurant setting things up ready for the upcoming rush. After a quick word with Gaius, who was overseeing this particular shift, he went up to his best friend and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Merlin," she said brightly. "Thanks for your help organising my party. I had a really good time." Her face suddenly fell. "What's wrong?"

"Let's go up to your flat, Gwen. We need to talk."

"But …" She looked around the restaurant wildly. "I have things to do ..."

"No, you don't. I've just given you the session off."

"What? There's no way they can cope with one less."

"Then I'll come back down and cover if you're not up for it."

"Merlin?" she asked, confused by his matter-of-fact tone.

"Please, Gwen. You _have_ to hear this." She nodded, concerned, but obviously understanding how important it was to him. They went up to her apartment, and he joined her on her small sofa, taking both his hands in hers. "I'm really sorry, Gwen but I'm afraid … Arthur and Morgana are not who they said they were."

"I-I don't understand."

"Their father is Uther Pendragon."

She pulled her hands abruptly out of his grasp, putting both to her mouth and shaking her head. "No ..." she mumbled.

"It's true – I'm sorry. I overheard them talking and got suspicious so I contacted Gwaine, only to find that he'd already looked them up after last night and ..."

"But … "

"Gwen, I overheard Arthur saying that he'd been a 'gentleman'." Merlin scoffed as he said it. "Was he telling the truth?"

"What?" She looked briefly shocked and then rather offended. "Yes, of course he was. I told you, it wasn't a proper date just … well he kissed me goodnight but …gently and … that's all ..." She ducked her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sure he wasn't trying to get any information out of me. I'm sure he doesn't even know how well connected I am within this company."

Merlin sighed, having come to much the same conclusion himself after the way that Arthur had barged in and had seemed so shocked about Gwen's surname. Anyway, why wouldn't he have assumed she was just a waitress? No, obviously he had been the real target – Morgana's target although ...

He suddenly recalled the siblings talking about him; about his name and family connections. Perhaps all of this was a little less sinister than he'd first thought. Perhaps they'd genuinely not realised how important he and Gwen were within Kilgharrah's and were just speculating. Perhaps Uther had simply suggested they pick up and seduce any low ranked employees with the vague hope to find out something of use about the mysterious Mr. Emrys.

Merlin had no idea if that made him feel better or worse.

In the end both he and Gwen went down to the restaurant to help with the lunch shift, deciding that keeping busy and distracted was the best option. In fact, Merlin realised looking back, most of Friday had gone by in a bit of a blur and it strangely reminded him of that time after Freya's death; automatically going through the motions of life, trying not to dwell on anything that hurt too much, and just waiting for some sense of feeling and optimism about the future to re-appear.

xoxOxox

After the evening shift Gwen and Merlin decided to resurrect their old 'ice cream and movie' heartbreak cure, planning on staying up ridiculously late until there were certain they would fall into a long, deep sleep and not wake up again until it was time to prepare for lunch time tomorrow.

"I got a message on my Comp from Arthur, earlier," Gwen told him as they settled down on the sofa with their ice cream.

"Yeah, I got one from Morgana too."

"Really, what time?" Merlin raised an eyebrow at the question and checked his device, placing it next to Gwen's to note that the time stamp on both was almost the same. Then they played them to find they were similarly worded too; both asking if they could meet up on Saturday sometime for a coffee and a chat.

After a few sarcastic grumbles about that, the pair turned back to the film only to have Gwen's Comp light up with a message a couple of times and Merlin's suddenly ring. He turned the screen towards Gwen to show 'Morgana' flashing across it, before very deliberately putting it back down on the coffee table and attempting to focus on the film instead. During a break, Merlin took their bowls back over to the kitchenette before returning to the television and sitting back on the sofa with Gwen.

"Are you going to listen to your message?" she asked him.

"I suppose," he replied, sitting back up and reaching for his Comp. He pressed a few icons, ensuring the volume was turned up high enough for Gwen to hear and placed it back down on the coffee table with a sigh.

_"Ah ... hi, Merlin. I thought perhaps you'd have finished your shift by now. Anyway, sorry to have missed you but I ... ah, I was just wondered about tomorrow. You know coffee?"_ There was a pause. _"Anyway, give me a call back when you get this. Bye ... miss you."_

There was a sudden large crash from the kitchenette behind them and Gwen jumped up in shock, turning around to find the two bowls they'd eaten from earlier were now on the floor in pieces.

"Merlin?" she asked concerned, obviously quite aware that he'd lost control of his magic.

"Sorry." Gwen moved closer and took one of his hands in hers - pulling at it. It was only when he looked down that the realised that he'd been holding both tightly clenched into fists and he forced himself to relax them as she rubbed a gentle hand across his cheek, indicating that he was tensing his jaw too. He blinked back the tears that were staring to form. "Sorry," he repeated.

"I know it's not easy but, please try and stay calm, you know what you're like when you loose your temper."

"I'm better than I used to be," he said with a weak smile.

"Which is not saying much," she retorted. With another sigh she moved closer to him on the sofa and held his hands. He leant into her, both seeking comfort from the other, as her head gently dropped to rest on his shoulder.

"Sorry," he muttered yet again.

"Ever thought that things might have been a lot easier if we'd stayed together?" she asked lightly and he smiled at the question.

"Frequently, but ..." He paused, searching for the right words as he gently stroked her hair. "It probably would have been easier – nice and safe and painless but … "

"... It just wouldn't have been enough for either of us," Gwen finished just as her Comp began to beep. She opened the message with a large sigh as she saw the name of the sender.

"Persistent little buggers, aren't they?" Merlin observed lightly and Gwen snorted in reply.

xoxOxox

Merlin slept a bit better than he'd expected and was keen to start working as early as possible so that he could stay distracted. Not easy when the main focus of his job today was arranging the Monday morning meeting with Uther Pendragon and ensuring that Gaius, Gwaine and his mother were free to attend. He decided to leave Tom out of this particular meeting, still not willing to let Uther know just how important a role Gwen's father had actually been playing in his company over the years.

He was in the middle of organising everything when his office phone buzzed, indicating an internal call from the front desk.

"Hi, Merlin, sorry to interrupt," said Alice. "But I've a young lady here to see you. A Morgana Cornwall?" Merlin felt his magic instantly bubbling out of control and looked down to find his fists clenched again. Focusing hard he relaxed them open and attempted to calm himself down.

"Actually, Alice, her name is Morgana Pendragon and she is absolutely the last person I wish to see at the moment."

"Oh ... only Will said that you and she were ..."

"Yes, but that was before I knew her real name."

"Oh. Right so ... I'll give her your excuses, shall I?"

"Yes." He paused, fighting with his emotions again. "Actually, Alice. Do me a favour and say, 'I regret that Mr. Wyllt is rather busy at the moment and is unlikely to be available for some time. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Ms Pendragon.'"

"Ah, are you sure?"

"Those exact words please, Alice."

"Very well," she replied with a sigh.

xoxOxox

From then on Merlin's Comp beeped and rang even more often, with Morgana sending him more and more desperate messages until Merlin feared that his magic would knock down the whole building.

"At least I've got Arthur to stop calling me now," Gwen calmly told him on Sunday.

"Oh, how did you manage that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I sent him a message saying I was seeing Lancelot," she said with a steely look in her eyes.

"You're not though?" he guessed.

"No, but he doesn't need to know that."

Following her lead, Merlin did something similar, threatening to block Morgana's number entirely if she didn't stop calling him, although he couldn't help feel a strange sense of emptiness from that point on when her name stopped appearing on his message list.

He slept even less on Sunday night than he had Friday or Saturday, mostly worrying about the meeting on Monday and how he was going to deal with it professionally with all that was playing on his mind at the moment. He was grateful that his mother had been away visiting that weekend and so had not seen him in his current state. In fact, he was really hoping that he could avoid running into her today too as he knew that she'd take one look at him and instantly realise that something was wrong. Hunith may not have any magic, but Merlin was quite convinced that he'd inherited most of his natural empathy from her. She generally knew him and his moods far too well for his liking.

So, he didn't leave his flat until he was quite convinced that she would already be there and made his way into the small, specially set up space next to the main meeting room, blinking for a moment until his eyes got used to the dark. He then moved over to the desk in front of the large window that overlooked the conference room which was, of course, a two way mirror, and attached the small microphone to his shirt whilst setting up his Comp ready so he could watch and listen to the meeting unobserved.

At this point, only Hunith and Gaius were in the room but, within moments, the door opened to reveal a middle aged man that was quite obviously Uther Pendragon along with, to Merlin's total shock, Arthur and Morgana. His heart started to beat faster as he wondered how on earth he was going to get through this when she was sitting right there in front of him, looking just as beautiful as ever, if rather more tense and pale than he remembered.

Arthur didn't look at his best either but then, considering the number of frantic sounding messages the pair had sent, perhaps that wasn't entirely surprising. In order to distract himself, Merlin instead concentrated on Uther, vaguely recognising the man from various television and newspaper reports before flicking the switch that allowed him to hear the conversation in the other room. He quickly realised that he knew that voice too and that it _had _been Uther he'd played that trick on the other morning when he'd had to hide in Morgana's wardrobe. Merlin pulled a face at the memory, again berating himself as an idiot for allowing himself to fall for her charms so easily.

Suddenly, the door burst open as Gwaine, quite typically, barged in at a rather undignified pace.

"Sorry I'm late but you know how ... ah ..." He froze as he took note of the unexpected members of the Pendragon clan and Merlin saw surprise and then amusement cross his face as he recognised them. "Now, this could be most interesting."

The last comment was very quiet but Merlin read his lips as much as heard the muffled comment through the microphone and, seeing his mother now adjusting her earpiece, he realised that he could no longer put off the inevitable and switched on the last connection so that she could would be able to listen to him too.

"I'm here," he said with a sigh and heard the three quiet taps that confirmed that his mother could hear him. He cleared his throat, quite aware that his voice had come out rather more croaky than usual due to the large number of tears he'd been crying recently. He fervently hoped his mother could not hear anything unusual that would concern her.

"So, Mr. Pendragon, it's good of you to come at such short notice," Hunith said, getting the meeting under way.

"Please, call me Uther," he said with a rather too friendly smile at Hunith that immediately had Merlin glowering. "This is my son, Arthur and my daughter, Morgana."

Despite his best efforts Merlin allowed a scoff to escape and instantly regretted it, seeing his mother give a frown at the response. Then again, it was likely that 'someone' had mentioned his new girlfriend from Gwen's party. Would she already have enough information to guess something about what had been happening here?

"Of course," she replied calmly. "I'm Hunith Ambrosius, this is Gaius and the young man to your left is Gwaine Lothian. Now, shall we begin? As a rule, Hunith was able to deal with such things by herself. Certainly Merlin didn't feel any need to contribute initially. He checked his notes as she spoke, just occasionally, quietly, reminding her about some small point that they had all agreed upon earlier.

"So, despite your unconventional tactics and the forcing of this meeting," said Uther, "we believe we still have something to offer your company in the form of a merger and are willing to continue to discuss terms that would be agreeable to you. Terms that would allow us to support you financially, and be of benefit to both sides."

This time, Merlin spoke directly. Hunith quietly and calmly copying his words as if they were her own. "We have no need of financial support and our terms are perfectly simple," she repeated in a quiet but firm voice. "We wish to keep our company just as it is and will do ... anything it takes to keep it that way."

"Obviously," said Uther. "Although I do think your aggressive business tactics have not especially helped your cause in this particular case." Gwaine snorted loudly at the comment and Uther turned a glare on him. "You do not believe this move of yours to be aggressive, Mr. Lothian?"

"Oh no, I agree it's highly aggressive," he replied with a relaxed smile. "I just don't think that you're in any position to accuse _us_ of such a thing, considering."

"Considering what?" Uther asked. Gwaine turned his gaze directly at Morgana who quite obviously paled under the scrutiny.

"Considering you've been pimping out your children to gain information about our company."

Merlin almost choked at the comment and he saw the shocked look on Arthur and Morgana's faces as well as the highly confused ones from the eldest three people in the room.

"Gwaine - behave!" He said automatically - Hunith repeating the comment with no sign of hesitation, obviously aware that the remark was inappropriate even if she didn't fully understand the accusation. Gwaine, of course, knew exactly where that reprimand had come from.

"Only for you," he said, bowing his head meekly and Merlin panicked as he saw Morgana frown. He and Gwaine had exchanged those words on Thursday night in her company. Would she make the connection? "My apologies," the Irishman continued meekly. "That was perhaps unfair but, nevertheless, you cannot deny that you sent these two to our restaurant with the sole purpose of spying and finding out information about our company."

"Such things are perfectly legitimate – and a common enough business practice in such circumstances," Uther replied, flicking a concerned glance at a quietly fuming Arthur sitting next to him. "I am quite sure that you have done much the same thing yourself in the past?"

"Look, this is getting us nowhere," said Gaius. "I think we should get back to the matter at hand. We wish to keep full control of our restaurant and associated businesses, and believe we have the money, personalities and contacts required to manage that without the need for any outside assistance."

"We are happy enough to drop our bid for Camelot," Hunith continued independently, "but only on the understanding that you drop yours for Kilgharrah's."

"Well, yes, I am well aware of your demands but, I must admit that I am curious as to exactly who is making them," said Uther and Merlin jumped as the man looked up, apparently straight into his eyes. He was obviously quite aware that the mirror was two-way.

"I have the authority to speak for this company," said Hunith with a small smile, "and so I'm not sure I understand what your objections are."

"I do not object to anything as such, it is more a matter of curiosity over who is really leading this meeting. Who is this mysterious Mr. Emrys, and why does he not have the courage to front this meeting in person?"

"Mr. Emrys has his own reasons for wishing to keep his anonymity," said Hunith, now quoting a well worn phrase. "As director of this company, he has every right to run his company and his meetings in the manner of his own choosing."

"Well, I say it's bad manners," Uther pressed, "and I do not see why Camelot should give into any of your threats or demands if he does not have the decency to ask such things of me personally."

"These demands come direct from Mr. Emrys," Hunith continued, "but none of this changes anything. As we said before. If you withdraw your claim on Kilgharrah's, we shall do the same with regard to Camelot. Your choice."

"Fair enough, but I think you'll start finding it even more difficult to expand your business now you've lost your last Oxford contact," Uther stated as he stood up abruptly to leave. Merlin frowned at this comment, thinking hard. In fact, he _had_ been having a great deal of trouble getting certain planning permissions recently and he was now wondering if Uther was simply guessing or whether he was actually threatening them with something.

xoxOxox

Merlin had never been so glad to reach the end of a meeting in his life. He disconnected all of the equipment and then just stayed exactly where he was, his heart pounding as he watched Morgana give her farewells and leave the room with her father and brother. He continued to sit there as his own directors also left, desperately hoping that no-one would try to seek him out.

So much for that idea.

"Merlin, love. Whatever is the matter?"

"Nothing Mum, why do you ask?"

"Merlin Wyllt, don't you believe for a moment you can hide your emotions from me, even if it wasn't obvious that something was up just from the atmosphere in that room," she lectured and he just shrugged, still sitting on the chair in this darkened room. Hunith sighed and switched on the light.

"Mum!"

"What? The conference room is empty and locked. "Look at me ..." He gave an exaggerated sigh and turned around to see his mother's slightly concerned look turn even more worried.

"You poor boy, you can't fool me. You must tell me what's happened?" she pushed and he sighed, admitting defeat.

"It's just ... Morgana, I-I didn't know who she was. We went out on a couple of dates and ... I only recently found out her real name and ..."

"Yes, I heard something about that from Will."

"Will talks too much," Merlin grumbled.

"He was just pleased you'd found a girlfriend after all this time and guessed, quite rightly, that you wouldn't have told me about her."

"I knew it was too good to be true," he sighed.

"You think she was just using you then? You think ... oh!"

"What?"

"_That's_ what Gwaine meant."

"Oh ... " Merlin winced as he remembered his friend's rather too colourful description of the situation.

"Never mind that. I'm just sorry to see your heart broken again."

"I'll be fine, Mum, honestly and, it's not just me. Gwen was dating Arthur too but ..." He shook his head. "We'll survive, we've got each other after all."

"Yes, sometimes I wish that you two had stayed together and so does Tom. You know that Gwen would never have broken your heart like this?"

"Yes, Mum," he responded automatically, more than aware of their parents' feelings on the subject.

"You should have said something to me, Merlin," she scolded him. "If for no other reason than giving me a heads-up on exactly what was going on in there today."

"Ah yes, I'm sorry about that. I didn't think."

"Well, I understand you had your mind on other things. What did you think about that last comment of Uther's?"

"Well, I don't think it was anything especially sinister," he replied. "I don't believe he was actually threatening us, or anything."

"You don't?"

"No, I just think he was stating a fact; one I'm beginning to see for myself."

"What do you mean?"

"The Oxford - Cambridge divide is getting wider, Mum. It's getting to the point that it's almost impossible to do business with any Dark Blue company anymore and even harder to find one that claims to be neutral. Seriously, I can't see how we can expand any further now we don't have Tom's contacts within 'Camelot'."

"Ah, I see. He had to expose his dealings with us in order to warn us about the take-over but now … now we've lost our spy."

"What about those contacts he used to have in North London?" he asked.

"He lost all of those when he married a Cambridge girl," she said with a sigh.

"You see what I mean? It's all getting ridiculous. How can any modern business work effectively when it can only access fifty percent of all other businesses? It's not just here in the south of England either - even the northern colleges are calling themselves 'Dark' or 'Light' and dealing only with the same colour businesses here in the south. To make matters worse it seems that every single planning department I contact is Dark Blue and most of the reasons they're giving for turning down my applications are frankly pathetic.

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Merlin. You know that we all have absolute faith in your ability to run this company," said Hunith leaning down to kiss him on the cheek before making her way towards the door.

Merlin dropped his head down onto the desk with a large sigh, wishing that he had the same confidence in his own abilities as his friends and family seemed to.

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 8: Resolving. <strong>Merlin and Gwen agree to meet Morgana and Arthur to discuss their broken relationships, but Merlin still isn't sure whether he should reveal his secrets to the pair.

_**A/N **__Thank you for you lovely reviews and support on this one. I'm getting quite a few questions and speculations now which I'm replying to personally wherever I can. Just to confirm; we're still in Merlin's pov of 'Kilgharrah's' up to and including chapter 10 but, as many of you have noticed, I'm already laying down some plot points for the sequel which will start from chapter 11 and continue to follow the characters past the old ending. I basically know where this is going but feel free to continue to speculate or suggest things too._

_**OT A/N:** For those of you who have seen 4.03 - feel free to check out my drabble/fic that's currently listed **6.** (published order) on my profile page. Just a little tribute for one of my favourite ever episodes ;)  
><em>

_18/10/11  
><em>


	8. Resolving

**Chapter 8 Resolving**

"_Hi, mate – you got a minute?" _ Gwaine's voice sounded over Merlin's Comp whilst he was in his flat early Monday evening, waiting for Gwen to arrive so they could start another 'let's forget the Pendragons' night

"Of course, what is it?"

"_I've just had a visit from Morgana." _

Merlin froze. "Yeah? So?" He replied, feigning indifference.

"_She really is in a right state and ..."_

"_She's_ in a right state?" he scoffed.

"_Look, mate, I do understand. I was much the same when she first turned up but … I think perhaps this isn't quite as cut and dried as we first thought."_ Merlin just paused, silently sulking as he tried to work out how to react to this latest turn of events. _"Will you hear me out?"_

"I suppose."

"_She admits that she and Arthur were there as spies on that first night and that Uther had asked them to talk to a few people, but she says that her flirting with you had nothing to do with that and … well, I have to say, talking to her tonight ... I think I believe her."_

"It just seems too much of a co-incidence to me."

"_Ah now, here I think you're doing yourself an injustice. I know I tease you about it sometimes, but I don't think you realise how attractive some of these ladies think you are. Certainly I've overheard some say things about you that would turn those wonderful ears of yours bright red."_

"You leave my ears out of this," Merlin retorted, smiling slightly, despite himself.

"_Seriously though, she seems distraught about the break up and, if you think about it - if she really had only wanted to sleep with you for information, trying to get back with you now wouldn't really be worth the effort to her now, would it?"_

"You don't think she guessed that I was there at the meeting today?"

"_No, although she has worked out that Hunith is your mother and commented that you weren't being entirely truthful about your name either."_

"It's hardly the same thing."

"_Is it not?" _ Merlin frowned, remembering what Gwaine had said before about Morgana being born a Cornwall and being adopted into the Pendragon family. Perhaps she really hadn't meant to decieve him after all.

"So, what now?" he continued, pointedly ignoring the question.

"_Well, obviously, she wants to see you and apologise. She also stood up for Arthur saying that he has genuine feelings for Gwen too. I suggested that all four of you could meet up with me as intermediary. How does that sound?"_

"I suppose." He sighed. "Having you there is a good idea, I think. Well, Gwen's due over this evening so I'll talk to her about it and get back to you, shall I?

xoxOxox

Gwen also agreed to the meeting, perhaps a little too enthusiastically for Merlin's liking, and so they called Gwaine back shortly afterwards and arranged it for Wednesday at Kilgharrah's.

Merlin tried hard not to react to seeing Morgana when she arrived but he had to admit that she didn't look right; her skin even paler than usual, her eyes wide and hair tied carelessly back, looking very much younger than her years. Arthur didn't look much better and Merlin wanted to take some satisfaction from the fact that they'd been suffering as much as he and Gwen had, but somehow found it very hard when faced by the pair and with Gwaine's own thoughts on the situation still clearly in his mind.

Gwen was keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the desk, refusing to look at Arthur with her body leaning subconsciously towards Merlin as the siblings walked towards the desk.

"Take a seat you two," said Gwaine, signalling them to sit in much the same places as they had on Monday. "Now, I know this is a difficult meeting for all of you but, when Morgana came to see me, she said enough of interest to make me think it worth our while to hear her out."

"Fair enough," said Merlin, pointedly _not_ looking at her. "But I'm curious as to why _he_ is here. I wonder why you would even trouble yourself to attend. Surely the up and coming Arthur Pendragon is not planning to _apologise_ for something?"

"I certainly wasn't planning on apologising to you, _Mer_lin. However, I am here to say sorry to Guinevere." Gwen looked up at him briefly and then swallowed hard, her eyes quickly finding the desk again, before shaking her head slightly, tears in her eyes. "Honestly, I truly am. Neither of us set out to deceive you we were just … investigating the restaurant and then … well then we realised that our father was wrong and that we had no intention in helping him to take it over but, by then it was all too late."

"Why would you not want to take it over? A successful business like this?" Merlin pushed. Not only was it easier for him to focus on Arthur at the moment, but he was also genuinely curious as to why Uther's loyal son was apparently so upset by his break up with Gwen that he was prepared to come here and explain his actions to them.

"I'm not denying that owning this place, or at least having an interest in it, wouldn't be of great benefit to our company," Arthur answered. "But, for the record, I do not agree with Father's plans. Kilgharrah's should stay as it is, whoever owns it."

"Funny, I don't seem to remember you saying that on Monday," said Gwaine. Arthur winced and, this time, it was his turn to look down at the table.

"I expect he's too much of a coward to say such a thing in front of his father," Merlin guessed, smiling at the blond's reaction. Arthur looked up at Merlin with a glare, obviously annoyed at his accurate interpretation. How much of his intuition was due to his magic he didn't know, but Merlin knew he was able to understand people's motives far quicker than most.

"I am _not_ a coward, and I am telling Father exactly that," Arthur objected. "He knows my feelings on the matter; that turning this place into another Camelot does not make good business sense. He will understand that soon enough – he's just too stubborn and too cross at the stunt you pulled to be thinking clearly at the moment."

"So, you're not really here to apologise at all," said Gwen then, the hurt in her voice quite obvious, even if she was trying hard to appear unruffled. "You're just here to say that you're asking your father not to take us over, but that you can't really promise anything?"

"Of course not. Guinevere, you know that's not true." Arthur's reply sounded genuinely heartfelt.

"Do I?"

"Look, I never intended to pass on anything to Father. Neither did Morgana," Arthur continued. "We told him from the start that Kilgharrah's was not a good target, that it's secrets were an asset, not something to be suspicious of. I am sorry I didn't tell you my name but then we weren't the only ones here keeping our family a secret, were we ... _Mer_lin?"

"I've gone by the name of Merlin Wyllt since I was eight years old," he stated firmly glaring at the blond. Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"And I've gone by the name of Morgana Cornwall since I was born," Morgana supplied. Merlin automatically looked at her as she spoke and then wished he hadn't. He wanted to hate her, wanted to give her a hard time for the hurt she'd caused him but now found that he couldn't.

"So Gwaine said," he responded with a shrug, "and … we know that to be true and that you were adopted by Uther when you were ten but … Arthur really _is_ a Pendragon and he certainly did lie about his name."

"Only by omission," her brother replied with a wince. "And for that I _am_ sorry." Merlin had been so determined to catch the pair out, but they were saying all the right things and he felt it was now the truth, but wasn't sure if he could trust his own judgement any more.

"You signed into the restaurant in that name though," he pushed. "You have a Comp assigned to Arthur Cornwall."

"A second name can often be useful, can't it, _Mer_lin?" Arthur retorted and he winced again, "and you didn't honestly expect me to book the table under Pendragon, did you? I mean, the main reason for coming here was that it was my date's first choice of restaurant. Even if there had been no business issue, I would not have felt comfortable as a customer here using my real name."

"Although you were here for business, weren't you?" said Merlin. "I know full well that you were questioning Will at the Casino that night, Morgana, and that Arthur was quizzing Elyan … and me for that matter."

"We've already admitted that we did come here to gain information for Uther," Morgana stated, "and that there was very little information we could actually give him. He wanted to know who the head chef was and who the mystery owner was and we did not and still do not know this information." Merlin's insides jolted as he realised the truth of that statement. Why would they not bring that information up now if they knew? What advantage could they possible gain by pretending that they didn't know. He tried to push aside the feeling of guilt at the thought that it was now him that was keeping all the secrets.

"So you decided to befriend a couple of staff?" Gwen accused. "Get them to fall for you and then find out the information that way?"

"No!" Both Arthur and Morgana shouted the denial.

"No, that's not true. Merlin, you have to believe me," Morgana pleaded. "I know I was pushy, but I wasn't even thinking of Uther or his 'job' when I talked to you. I just wanted to get to know you better and then ... then I started to fall for you and the more I did that, the harder it became to come clean."

"You should have told me," he said trying one last time to push her away.

"I wasn't the only one keeping secrets," she said pointedly and he felt that annoying twinge again. He couldn't deny it and he couldn't honestly accuse her of such things now she'd been so open with him.

"How did you find out about us?" Arthur asked him then.

"I overheard you talking to Morgana that morning," said Merlin, "and that made me very curious so I dressed quickly and followed you out."

"You followed us? You must have dressed very quickly indeed," Arthur said suspiciously.

"Heard a few other interesting comments," Merlin continued quickly in order to avoid answering that question, "enough to make me pretty suspicious, and so then I contacted Gwaine and had him look you both up in more detail."

"So," Gwaine continued. "The two of you expect us to believe that you came here to spy, then started to fall for these two and are now determined to put Uther off his goal?"

"It's the absolute truth," said Arthur firmly.

"So, if that's the case, would you be willing to help us? Tell us something about Camelot that could help our counter claim?"

"Gwaine!" Merlin said, shocked at the suggestion.

"You can't expect them to do that," said Gwen. "It's family. They can't go against family any more than we can."

"I can."

"Morgana!" said Arthur shocked and the other three looked up in surprise too.

"What? I've never had any affection for Uther, you know that," Morgana said to her brother. "And you know that how I feel about him has no effect on my relationship with you, don't you? You're the only true family I have now." Merlin watched the pair carefully, genuinely interested in the conversation and its implications.

"I wish you would just try to get to know him better … to understand him. He loves you Morgana and …"

"It's irrelevant, especially in this case. You've said yourself that he's wrong in wanting to take over and you need to know, Gwaine, that I support your counter bid one hundred percent. As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy to keep an eye on what Uther's planning and, although Arthur may legitimately feel he cannot go directly against his father, I have no such qualms. Tell me what you need to know and I'll get you the information," she stated looking straight at him.

"I wouldn't ask that of you, Morgana."

"You don't need to. I'm offering. Merlin …?" He shook his head again. "Look at me ..." He lifted his head slowly, reluctantly. "This is why I asked for this meeting, this is why I asked to see you. Nothing else matters, don't you understand? I am really, really sorry I didn't tell you the full truth, I'm even more sorry that I hurt you. Please, tell me what to do to fix this and I will. _Anything_."

That was it. He now knew he stood no chance of resisting. Not when she turned that pleading look on him.

"I can't say I understand quite why my sister feels so strongly about you," Arthur was saying, "but I know how happy she has been with you and how devastated she's been the last few days. You asked why I'm here? Well, to apologise to both of you of course, but mostly for Morgana. I know that it's too late for us, Guinevere, I understand that you're seeing Lancelot now but … if there's a chance for my sister to be happy then I was willing to come here and explain my part in the whole fiasco."

Merlin was stunned. Before he thought he'd underestimated Arthur a bit, but now? Now he realised that he still didn't know him and that, even with his gift of intuition he'd completely misunderstood this man. Arthur had already given up on Gwen and was only here for Morgana? He turned to Gwen then, hoping that she had seen it too. She had always seemed to understand Arthur better than him anyway. Gwen, typically, seemed to be asking Merlin for permission rather than the other way around and he nodded, silently telling her that he believed them and had accepted their apologies.

"I was hurt and upset when I sent that text," Gwen said with a small nod at him, as she understood what he was asking of her and, at long last, looking Arthur in the eye. "And … I suppose one part of me did contemplate contacting Lancelot but …" She bit her lip as she continued. "... in the end I didn't."

"You … didn't? You mean you're not going out with him?" Arthur asked breathlessly.

"N-no. I couldn't. Not after ..." She coloured and bit her lip again. "Not while I still had feelings for you."

"Well now, this is all very sweet," said Gwaine with a broad grin, "and so nice to see you all starting to get along again but, you must understand that this is not going to be easy for you. Even if the pair of you are speaking the truth, you must know that this still puts you … well all four of you, in a tricky situation with both your families and your businesses." He looked around the table as the group all nodded their reluctant understanding. "Well, I have to get back now but, you've an hour or so before Gwen and Merlin need to be back at work so, why don't you go upstairs and talk a little more before then?"

"That's not a bad idea," Merlin agreed, standing and heading toward the door. "This way." Arthur and Morgana exchanged a glance, shrugged and started to follow him.

"Oh, and by the way," said Gwaine with a broad grin. "I suggest you stick to _talking_ over your differences rather than any other form of apologising. Now's not the time to complicate things further, don't you agree?" Gwen and Arthur both looked highly embarrassed at Gwaine's implication and Merlin fought hard not to reprimand his friend publicly for such a comment. Just when he'd been about to thank him for his help as well.

Of course, this now meant he was taking Morgana to his flat for the first time and that meant there were likely to be a number of awkward questions he'd have to answer. However, he was now feeling so guilty about the secrets he was still holding onto that he supposed this was a good way to start to bring things out in the open without giving away the really big secret - the one he would have to think about very, very carefully before revealing to the siblings.

However, they hadn't even made it through his door before Morgana was throwing her arms around him with a low cry. He gritted his teeth and kept his hands to himself whilst silently berating his body for its highly inappropriate reaction to her proximity.

"I really am so sorry, you have to believe me," she said as he pulled gently away from her.

"Ah, you'd better come in then, I suppose," he said moving through the door and leaving it open for her to follow.

"T-thanks." She walked through the door and then stopped, her mouth falling open at the sight that greeted her. "This is ..." she swallowed hard. "Is this all yours?" Merlin steeled himself. He knew this apartment was really far too grand for a waiter to own, even if he could admit to being the son of the founder. He decided not to answer and instead watched her as her eyes looked around greedily, taking note of every one of his pictures, dragon themed decoration and, finally, falling on his desk and the delicate origami dragons he was folding. She picked one up and looked first at it, then at the picture and finally at Merlin, her mouth still open.

"You made this? All of this … it's you. All those decorations, the origami dragons and nests that came with our food … you made it all?"

"Ah ... yes," he said, still trying to work out how much he should tell her. "A little hobby of mine."

"... little … hobby?" She looked at the dragon she was holding and shook her head in disbelief.

"You can keep it, if you want. Unless there's another you prefer?"

"Ah no, this is fine … thank you. I meant what I said, Merlin. About how sorry I am about everything."

"I know. I do understand but, it's like Gwaine said, even knowing the truth doesn't entirely help. It's still awkward, isn't it?"

"I don't see why it should be. I don't care what Uther thinks – I don't care how important your family is within Kilgharrah's. All I care about it you and being with you." Merlin felt his heart start to pound faster as she said this. Did he dare believe her? Could they really start again?

"Morgana …"

"Merlin." She moved quickly to hug him again and this time he couldn't help but respond a little. "I meant what I said downstairs," she continued. "I'll do anything you ask. What do I have to do to convince you? What do I need to say to have you forgive me?"

"I do forgive you it's just …"

"You do?" She pulled slightly away and gave him such a beautiful smile that it was all he could do not to kiss her there and then. It was seriously tempting but they needed to talk and he really did need to tell her something.

"Morgana – you were right – I kept secrets too and it was quite deliberate on my part. I just didn't want to get too close and, even before I knew who you were, I didn't think I should trust you. I've learnt not to trust anyone because ..." _No, not everything, not tonight._

"What?"

"No, that's just it. It was hard enough before and, I do forgive you and I do want to try to make it work again but … you'll have to be patient with me. I have far too much to loose if I make the wrong decision. I can't tell you everything quite yet."

"Merlin?"

So, he told her about Freya and how that had broken his heart and why he had been and was still being so cautious around her and he hoped that was enough for tonight, enough for her to understand how much he'd been hurt, whilst subtly hinting that there were other secrets that he would tell her about in due course.

"We could give it another go but, it won't be easy," he said then, "and … I don't want you to do anything mad – spy on Uther or anything like that. Just, let's start again, get to know each other slowly, properly and then, perhaps ..?" She nodded and the pair fell into a silence that was almost relaxed.

"I understand. It's fine. As long as I'm with you … as long as you don't hate me."

"I could never hate you, Morgana," he said, surprised at the suggestion and she fell quickly back into his embrace, apparently delighted by his response.

"Merlin I … I love you." He froze, his heart pounding. He knew that he'd let those three words slip a couple of times during and after their love making, but she certainly hadn't hinted at anything other than lust up until today, and he had the feeling that they were not words she was especially used to saying. He held her a little closer stroking her hair, trying to understand the wild emotions that her sudden declaration had stirred in him.

"I really wish you wouldn't."

There was another long pause.

"Don't take this the wrong way but, after seeing this much, I really am curious about the rest of your apartment," she said eventually.

"I'll give you the tour," he replied, pleased for the more relaxed subject matter and enjoying the prospect of seeing her reaction to his place. He had lived here ever since they'd first opened the restaurant and loved it, quite determined to stay here, even when his parents had suggested they had the old penthouse suite on the top floor renovated for him instead. That had seemed a luxurious step too far at the time, when this had been bigger than any room or hotel room he'd ever slept in.

Merlin had been expecting the 'look' from Morgana on seeing his especially large four poster and he didn't need his intuition to know exactly what was going through her mind when she saw it. Almost certain the very same thing that he was thinking of. "Behave!" he said, making her laugh as they returned to the main room.

He showed her the living room he shared with Gwen before returning to his flat where, for a third time, she threw her arms around him and this time he was unable to resist, pulling her close against him and gently stroking her back, suddenly desperate to kiss her again.

"I've missed you so much," she confessed.

"Me too ..." he murmured into her hair, as a nervous knock sounded at the door. "Come in, it's open," he called out.

"Didn't know what we might be interrupting," said Gwen with a shy smile as she entered hand in hand with Arthur, "but it looks like you've made up too."

"Yes, although, as I said, it isn't going to be easy," Merlin replied.

"True," said Arthur, "but some things are worth fighting for." He turned a loving smile on Gwen.

"Your father might have something to say about that," said Merlin and Arthur pulled a face.

"Well, we'll find out on Saturday," he said.

"Saturday?" Morgana asked.

"The Oxbridge Ball. I've invited Guinevere."

"Oh ..." said Merlin, looking nervously at Morgana who gave him a small encouraging smile. "Do you think we should?"

"Can you both get away?" Morgana asked, and Gwen gave Merlin an amused look at the question. Having a Saturday evening off was a rare luxury in the restaurant business but then, what was the point of being the boss if he didn't get some perks?

"I'm sure it can be arranged. So, ah, would you like to go with me, Morgana?"

"I'd love to."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 9: Understanding.<strong> Gwen's latest news and Merlin's latest vision requires another meeting before the Oxbridge Ball.

_**A/N**_ _ I am well ahead in this fic at the moment which is a good job because we got a new kitten on Wednesday (link to pic on my PP) and he's proving to be very distracting. Unfortunately I couldn't persuade Hubby to let me call him Emrys. :(  
><em>


	9. Understanding

**Chapter 9. Understanding**

After Morgana and Arthur had left, Merlin quickly checked the time, trying to work out what he needed to do next. He found that there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to do what he wanted nowadays. Even with everybody's help, it was getting to the point where he was barely able to keep up with the simple running of the business, never mind dealing with all the issues surrounding the potential third restaurant he'd been hoping to open. Then, of course, there was the recent message he'd been sent from Morgause which had both confused and delighted him when he'd realised what it was about.

"Merlin, c-can we talk?" Gwen stuttered and Merlin turned back to his friend, surprised by her apparent nervousness.

"Of course," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong," she said, suddenly smiling, "but ... well, it was just what Arthur said when he was apologising to me."

"Yes?"

"Well, he doesn't find it that easy to talk about his feelings, so he was struggling to find the right words and I ... well, I decided to give him a bit of a hard time - said he'd have to do better than that if he wanted me to forgive me so easily."

"Good for you," said Merlin wishing he had the same self control when it came to Morgana.

"Well then, it seemed that he thought I really wasn't going to take him back because he suddenly grabbed my hands, saying how he'd never been as depressed as he had the last few days, that he realised he had no idea how he was going to live without me."

"Wow, really? Arthur?"

"Yes, then … then he said he loved me and ... well, as you said, I was a shocked that he would say something like that so openly so I didn't exactly encourage him and he took that the wrong way and ... the next thing I knew ..." She paused swallowing hard.

"Yes?"

"He'd dropped down on one knee and was proposing to me."

"What? No!" Merlin was genuinely shocked. Gwen bit her lip, looking slightly nervous but there was the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "W-what did you say?"

"I said 'yes', of course. Why would I?"

"But ... you've only known him for eleven days, don't you think this is a bit ... sudden?"

"Right!" Gwen replied, folding her arms and throwing him a stern look. "And how long had you known Morgana for before you jumped into bed with her?"

"Well yes but ... that was ... I mean." He sighed. "Look, I understand what you're saying but this is marriage you're talking about. I mean ... for life, and you've only just found out who he really is and ..."

"Merlin!" Gwen sounded a little hurt that he wasn't being more supportive.

"Sorry, Gwen I don't mean to be a killjoy, it just ... Look, are you really sure about this?"

"Yes, Merlin. Honestly, I've never been more certain about anything in my entire life."

"Well then ... congratulations," he said with a far more open smile and Gwen grinned back, running over to throw her arms around him enthusiastically. "Although probably best not to do this in front of ... your fiancé," he continued which just made Gwen smile even more.

Merlin excused himself then and went back to his office, promising to catch up with Gwen later and talk some more before she went out on her date with Arthur that evening. In fact, the couple were going to try to see each other as often as possible over the next few days even though Merlin knew that he wouldn't have that luxury when it came to Morgana. Bad enough that he was going to take this Saturday night off - never mind any other time beforehand.

Still he found himself highly distracted by Gwen's announcement. Torn between concern and ... something akin to contentment. Strangely. 'I've never been more certain about anything', she had said and he realised that he felt much the same. As if it was right, somehow - as if he had just found the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

Then he looked down at the desk and saw the letter in front of him; yet another planning permission refused. It was far harder to find Light Blue contacts in Manchester than he'd thought. What about Edinburgh? Perhaps all of this 'Blue' silliness hadn't crossed the border yet?

He thought again about Arthur and Gwen, his mind apparently refusing to focus on one thing at a time. Could he really trust the man with his best friend and with his own secret? He pulled a face as he though about how Arthur would react to the news that he was Emrys, or what he'd say if he mentioned his magic ... and he would really have to tell Morgana about that sometimes soon too … He suddenly felt the world start to spin.

Oh no, not again.

"_You are very small, Merlin and you think in small ways."_

"_Hey, I am over one-eighty meters, you know," _he replied indignantly.

"_This is bigger than your little secrets and pathetic love lives, this is about the world and it's corruption. About the way the Dark and Light are threatening more than your own little world."_

"_Dark and Light? Oxford and Cambridge? I don't understand."_

"_Arthur is the one who will re-unite this land."_

"_Right ..? That sounds a bit … melodramatic?"_

"_... but he faces many threats from friend and foe and family."_

"_What has this to do with me?"_

"_Everything. Without you Arthur will never succeed. Without you this land will be torn apart by ridiculous rivalry."_

"_But that seems … incredible. You must have this wrong."_

"_There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't."_

"_What is it I have to do?"_

"_You cannot do this alone, you are but one side of the coin. Arthur is the other."_

_"I-I don't understand. Just tell me what it is I have to do."_

"_I have." _

The echoing voice laughed as Merlin started to come out of his trance and, as he opened his eyes, they fell on the rejected planning permission paper and he stared at it for several long seconds before laughing delightedly - suddenly understanding.

"Idiot! The solution's been starting you right in the face!" he berated himself before picking up the phone and calling Gaius.

"Yes, Merlin?"

"We need another meeting with Uther. I think I just worked out how to kill two birds with one stone."

"And exactly what 'birds' are these?"

"Uther's take over attempt and my inability to gain planning permission for the Manchester restaurant."

"Ah, good ... I think. Shall I contact the others for you?"

"I was hoping you'd say that, I'm up to my eyeballs in paper work here and now … I have several other new things to sort out. I'm not sure about the timing of this but, perhaps we can try to get it sorted before the weekend?"

"Friday afternoon? Well, that won't be easy but … I'll give it a go."

"Thanks, Gaius."

xoxOxox

So, here he was again, in the dark office overlooking the main conference room through the two-way mirror. All three of the Pendragons were back in the same positions looking a little confused, although the two younger ones were looking very much more relaxed than before. Arthur actually appeared rather smug but then, that was probably not surprising considering, and he didn't think he'd once seen Gwen without a huge grin on her face since she'd told him her news on Wednesday.

Merlin looked at Morgana with a sigh, realising how much he was missing her. How he wished he'd had time to exchange more than a few messages and phone calls with her over the last couple of days. He couldn't wait until tomorrow when he could take her out again, hold her hand, perhaps sneak a little kiss or two and perhaps … afterwards …

He shook his head with a smile, telling himself off for the distraction and quickly set up his Comp and the microphones for the meeting.

"We notice that you are still trying to buy up more of our shares," said Hunith in a voice that almost sounded bored. "I have to tell you now that it is a waste of time. Your forty percent share is enough for you to have some say on the running of our company, perhaps, but the controlling interests remain here. The other sixty percent is held by those faithful to Mr. Emrys and Kilgharrah's and I can assure you that situation is not going to change."

"And you still maintain that you will drop your take-over bid if we back off from ours?" Uther pressed.

"Of course. In addition we have a proposition for you, one that will guarantee that your family have some say in the way our company is run, whilst still leaving it firmly within our control." Merlin saw Morgana and Arthur exchange a confused look and grinned. He couldn't wait to see their faces when this little gem was announced.

"That sounds most interesting," said Uther carefully.

"As I said, the shares you hold would grant you the right to a place on our board ..." Hunith continued. "However, we are not convinced that that would be a very helpful move. We don't believe that your philosophy sits comfortably within Kilgharrah's, and we have no desire to change our ways or have to deal with uncomfortable conflict on a day to day basis."

"So?" Uther asked.

"Our proposition is this. If you agree to sign all your shares in Kilgharrah's over to your son, Arthur Pendragon, then we shall offer _him_ a place on the board and a direct say in the running of the company."

All three sat up straight in surprise whilst Morgana looked over at her brother again to see him quite stunned by this proposition. Merlin failed to stifle a giggle and received a short tap on the earpiece from Hunith in the way of a reprimand.

"What?" asked Uther.

"However," Hunith continued. "You, Uther, must waive all rights to any control of Kilgharrah's. We shall deal only with Arthur."

"Why?" Uther asked. Merlin was looking straight at the blond at this point and enjoyed seeing his confusion and distrust. Good, it was right he should be a little suspicious but, how clever was he? Would he work out exactly why Merlin needed him?

"We believe he is someone we can work with. Someone who, in the future, can run both Camelot and Kilgharrah's successfully and, with that in mind, we are willing to entertain the idea of a future merger between our two companies."

"A future merger. You do not wish this now?" Uther asked.

"No, now is not the right time. However, there will come a time when such a partnership will be of great use to us all."

"Preferably when Uther retires and gives his company to Arthur," Merlin added quietly. Another tap from Hunith and Merlin nearly laughed again, grinning broadly and swinging back and forth on his chair, his arms folded causally as he observed the result of his little bombshell.

"I'm flattered you have such faith in me," Arthur said to Hunith. "but, I am curious. You know nothing about me other than the fact that I am Uther's son but, despite this, you seem quite confident that I have your interests at heart? That I will not cause this conflict that you are so concerned about?"

"Yes, it has come to our attention that that is indeed the case. That your _heart_ is very much part of any future merger." Arthur gave Hunith a suspicious look, whilst Morgana glared at an obviously amused Gwaine. Merlin nodded, satisfied that they had at least worked that much out. It was the only reason he could guarantee this was a good idea; Arthur total attachment and devotion to Gwen.

"You have this down in writing?" asked Uther thoughtfully, obviously having no idea of the real reason behind this offer.

"Of course," said Gwaine, handing over a pad. Uther perused it, whilst Arthur looked confused and Morgana, interestingly, looked a little annoyed.

"Well?" said Hunith. "Do you accept these terms? You sign your shares over to your son and we shall deal directly with him from now on."

"Fine," Uther replied eventually. "It makes no difference to me. Arthur is to inherit everything from me eventually, anyway, I see no reason why he can't have this part of Kilgharrah's now. As long as there's a Pendragon on the board, it makes little difference."

Merlin laughed loudly at that and, interestingly wasn't told off for it. In fact he could see that Gwaine and his mother were both trying very, very hard not to smile too.

xoxOxox

The preliminary documents had been signed and returned by Uther and Arthur, but Merlin knew that would not be enough and that he was going to have to find an opportunity to talk some more with Arthur and start to decide when would be the right time to come clean. There was still part of him that was nervous about this, even though every single instinct he had, magical and non magical, was screaming at him that this was meant to be – destiny and all that - and that he had to trust this man if everything was going to work out.

He sighed as he finished dressing and knocked on Gwen's door to get her approval of his outfit. No need to worry about any of that business stuff now. Tonight he was going to enjoy the treat of a Saturday evening off and spending it with Morgana.

"Well?" he asked as Gwen, hair and make up completed, but still dressed in a robe, looked him up and down critically; noting the slim fitting black suit with dark shirt, high collar and a blue tie decorated by numerous tiny golden dragons.

"Very handsome," she decided.

"... for a skinny brunette?" he asked.

"I wasn't planning on qualify the compliment at all, Merlin. I thought by now you'd realised that your looks are quite appealing to many women and, more importantly, very appealing to the one that really matters."

"Yeah, well I still say she has weird taste."

"Oh, go on with you. I'll see you there."

xoxOxox

Morgana opened the door to her flat wearing the most incredible dark red, designer dress which, despite the long skirt and high neckline, made her look even more sexy than before. The material was thin and silky and so fell very temptingly against her curves and excited Merlin even more than a view of her in her underwear.

"Wow," he somehow managed to say.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she replied with a smile that implied an understatement.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out an arm and walking her down to the chauffeur driven limousine.

"Ah, how can afford all of this on a waiter's wage?" she asked.

"I'm rather more than a waiter," he replied, pretending to be offended. He really did have quite a bit of confessing to do, both to her and Arthur.

Merlin inwardly groaned as he saw how many star spotters, reporters and photographers were lining the long red carpet outside the venue. As a rule, he could walk the streets without being recognised nowadays. A nice change compared to ten or fifteen years ago when he wasn't even able to walk to school or the local shops without having 'Sorcerer' yelled at him in the street. However, nowadays he could usually go though life unrecognised … both due to the number of years that had passed, his extra height and his ability to blend into the background. Tonight could be different though. These people tended not to forget such things and, dressed like this, it was likely that he would be recognised as the ex child-star who, fifteen years ago, seemed to be on television every other day.

As he feared, he noticed a couple of wide eyed looks as they passed; a couple of reporters nudging their photographers and pointing in his general direction. Merlin sighed and tried to ignore them, focusing his attention on the long flight of stone steps to the entrance hall and hoping he wouldn't trip over in front of everyone.

All of this had distracted him from the other important thing about tonight's Ball and, as they continued their progress, arm in arm, though the large bar which lead into the main Ballroom, Merlin's eyes immediately fell on the number of photographs currently decorating the wall and grinned as he recognised them. He felt Morgana stiffen beside him and suddenly remembered that he wasn't suppose to know about any of this yet.

"Morgana … " he whispered, stopping in his tracks and adopting a stage whisper. "Are those … your photographs?" Her reply was something in-between a laugh and a cough and she turned a nervous smile in his direction. "You see, I told you they were good enough to show in a high profile event," he continued with a broad, smug smile.

"Yes, I know. Now, keep your voice down, will you. Don't forget these are not _my_ photographs."

"Of course … Morgan."

"And take care not to mention 'Le Fey' in my father's company either."

"Your mother's birth name?"

"Well yes, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" she retorted.

"Don't start ..." Merlin replied, still feeling smug about the fact he'd helped to set all of this up for her. That was until his eyes fell on one photo that he certainly hadn't expected to see here tonight and suddenly acting was no longer required. "Oh no, I'm up there too."

"Yes, Morgause was most impressed with those," she said calmly. "Basically, it was no deal without them."

"Great," he replied. He was just starting to mentally scold Morgause for the lack of warning when he realised that they had not actually met and so she wouldn't have known that the pictures where of the man who had contacted her in the first place. Merlin laughed at the irony.

He grinned broadly as they were approached by Arthur and Gwen, his best friend now dressed in a beautiful pale purple dress with her long dark hair mostly loose. Arthur was wearing a very traditional, old fashioned tuxedo and did look remarkably smart, Merlin reluctantly acknowledged.

"Morgana ... your photos ..." Arthur whispered urgently. She pulled a face as she manoeuvred her brother to one side, whilst Gwen grabbed Merlin by the arm and dragged him towards the one that had got Morgana so excited on that very first evening.

"Merlin … these pictures are incredible! This one in particular. I almost didn't recognise you."

"I hardly recognise myself," he admitted.

"But … it's wonderful. You look … well, hot!"

"What were you saying earlier about not having to qualify your compliment?"

"Yes but … I've always thought you looked cute and, when you make an effort I would call you good-looking but that ..." She sighed and licked her lips. "That is most definitely _hot_."

"Gwen, please don't look at me … ah, I mean, at my photo like that. It feels … a bit weird actually." She turned back to him, still wide-eyed. "And, from the look on Arthur's face, I'd say he's not that comfortable about you eyeing up another man either, especially if it's me."

"Oops," she said, biting her lip but not looking that guilty.

"I wonder if the one Morgana took of Arthur is here?"

"She's taken one of Arthur?" She looked at him wide eyed and then back at his photograph and he burst out laughing, guessing her thought. If Morgana could make her lust after a picture of her best friend, Gwen was obviously wondering what she would be able to achieve with a photo of Arthur. Having seen that particular shot of the blond in her studio, Merlin suspected that she had every reason to be excited by the thought.

They quickly returned to their dates, both girls enthusiastically looping their arms around their boyfriends' and moving forward into the main ballroom. Merlin was just beginning to relax and enjoy the evening when he suddenly saw Uther approaching them and froze in sudden fear. This was likely to be very awkward.

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time. Chapter 10: Confessing. <strong>Merlin realises it's time to start revealing some of his secrets.

_**A/N.**__ One more chapter to go and then it's the sequel. Lots of extra A/N notes today but I think you'll appreciate them._

_I've just updated my profile page with a number of photograph links which are mostly connected to this fic. However, I have just come across the most wonderful fanart image of Merlin and Morgana kissing which I know you lot will appreciate and the link to that's on my pp too._

_Found a good picture for the Arthur photograph mentioned in this chapter (link on pp)._

_I laughed so much when I saw the knights appreciating Merlin's stew in 4.04 on Saturday's show. You see, I told you he was a good cook! :D (Non-spoiler link on pp)_

_Almost every reviewer asked me the name of my kitten (pp link) but we hadn't decided at the time. We've called him Bertie – from Jeeves and Wooster - which links nicely into 'The Perils of Parchment' in my 'The Heart To Know' series in which Merlin played the part of Bertie. The kitten has settled in very well but continues to be a distraction to me and our older cat who hasn't accepted him yet. _


	10. Confessing

**Chapter 10: Confessing**

The four approached Uther's group as the man quickly scanned his children's dates with a small frown. Merlin steeled himself as Arthur made the introductions, grateful that there were a number of other people present to take the pressure off them a little.

"Father, I would like to introduce you to Guinevere Leodegrance." Uther did a fairly good job of keeping his features neutral, but Merlin was watching carefully knowing, perhaps more than anyone else, the conflict the man would be feeling about having his son bring along his rival's daughter to such an event.

"A pleasure, my dear. I know your father very well, and … well, I knew your mother too, of course. Lovely woman." Gwen blinked a little, obviously surprised at the comment.

"R-really, well I am always pleased to meet people who knew her. I remember so little, you see," she responded.

"Of course, you must have been very young when she died. Something you and Arthur have in common, unfortunately."

"Yes, of course. It is very sad that he did not know his mother at all."

Merlin inwardly sighed. He really did have a lot of catching up to do. The four of them needed to find some time to sit down and talk as it seemed there was a lot that needed to be discussed and discovered.

"This is Merlin Wyllt," Arthur continued to make the introductions and Uther's polite smile suddenly turned slightly curious. A frown playing across his face as if trying to work out where he recognised him from. Merlin knew that look well – even if he tended to see it a little less often nowadays.

The others in Uther's group took over the conversation for a few minutes, complimenting both girls on their dresses and typically observing how grown up Arthur and Morgana were nowadays, so it was a while before Uther got his next question in, this time asking Gwen about her career.

"I work at Kilgharrah's," Gwen replied with a smile. "As does Merlin."

"Ah, I see," said Uther with a rather more genuine smile. Perhaps he thought his children were still taking part in his spying 'job', despite recent events. "Arthur, I was most surprised to notice your photograph on display outside. You didn't tell me you took part in a sitting."

"Believe me I was surprised too," he replied, exchanging a quick glance with Morgana. "It was a few months now since they were done."

"Ah, but you see, it seems everyone's talking about these photos – the artist himself seems to have asked for anonymity and ... well, you know what that tends to do nowadays."

"Only too well," Merlin muttered under his breath eliciting a giggle from Gwen.

"Everyone's now desperately trying to find out his name and I've even set Aredian on the task," Uther continued casually, whilst Morgana suddenly looked worried. "So …?" Uther asked his son.

"Perfectly dull little man," said Arthur calmly. "Not sure I can recall his name, but I've seen the other pictures here and they do seem to be rather good."

"And I believe I saw you up there too, young man," Uther said then, turning to him. "Merlin Wyllt, you said your name was?"

"Ah, yes, sir."

"So, you must be Hunith's boy?"

"That's right." He was certainly well informed.

"Was Balinor Ambrosius your father then? Only I notice that you've taken your mother's surname."

"He was, yes. I took the name for business reasons, you know, less of a mouthful?"

"Of course," Uther continued. "However both your given name and your face seem rather familiar but I'm struggling to think where I might know you from. Perhaps I met you when you were younger?"

"Ah, I expect you remember me from the television," he said with a wince. "The National Youth Master chef competition? I won it … well, a few years in a row, actually."

Arthur looked highly surprised by this revelation whilst Uther's usually stern face suddenly lit up at the news.

"Of course, you're Merlin the Saucerer," he announced in such a loud voice that half the room turned around to look. Merlin groaned as most of the hall started to point and whisper. There went his anonymity.

"The … what?" asked Arthur.

"Of course, not the sort of show you'd have watched when you were a teenager, Arthur," Uther continued. "But it was a big deal then and, this young man was … well, a national superstar, I'd say."

"What ... _Mer_lin," Arthur scoffed and Uther laughed good naturedly at his reaction.

"It was the most popular show on television at the time," his father explained, "and for Merlin here to win it three years in a row was unheard of. A very talented young chef." He said with a genuine smile which Merlin tried very hard to return.

"But, that can't be right," Arthur disagreed. "You were Maître d' when we visited Kilgharrah's."

"So, you're not the chef at the restaurant then?" asked Uther, his eyes suddenly brighter as he sensed a possible answer to one of his many questions about the place. "I can see how the son of the owner, with such obvious talent, would be in the perfect position to earn such a place, despite his youth." Merlin started to panic. This was not the way he'd wanted his secret to come out.

"No, Merlin's Maître d' as Arthur said," Morgana interrupted, obviously trying to rescue him. "Look now, the dancing is about to start. You were going to ask me, weren't you, Merlin?"

"Ah yes, of course," he said, offering his hand to her and trying to calm his beating heart. "Thanks," he continued as she manoeuvred him onto the floor.

"You're welcome, but that conversation has brought up even more interesting questions than I had before, the most pressing of which is why your mother suddenly feels she can trust Arthur so much that she's willing to sign part of the company over to him?"

"Ah ... I suppose I should ..." It looked like now was the time to explain a few things to Morgana. If it was about to come into the open anyway, it really would be better if he told her himself, otherwise he might lose her again and he didn't think he could survive that a second time. "Let's find somewhere to talk after this dance. I think it's time I told you a few things."

So, he took Morgana to a small side room marked 'staff', unlocked it with magic and led her inside. Then he gently held her hands and started by telling her a little of why he now trusted Arthur, although he was still having to be fairly vague because he knew, through Gwen, that the blond didn't want his family to know about the proposal yet.

That in turn led Merlin to tell her about his past; about how he'd been introduced to cookery early on, had been entered for various competitions and how, ultimately, he'd earned so much money that he was able to help his father to set up the first 'Kilgharrah's' restaurant.

"But … you were the main investor? At ten?" she asked, stunned at the news.

"I really was famous, as Uther recalls. I earned prize money in that television competition and a fair few others. I earned even more for chat show appearances, guest spots on adult cooking shows, and children's television. Then I had numerous, lucrative sponsorship deals - earned millions. Father wanted to put it all away from when I was old enough to use it sensibly, but I wouldn't hear of it. I knew of his dream and I wanted to help him. More than that, I had the 'magic' that I mentioned before; the art of making the sauces taste special and a presenting style that quickly became my trade mark."

"Oh my," she muttered, now starting to fully understand.

"As such, our Cardiff restaurant was an overnight success. Even as a boy, I was in overall charge of the menus, cooked most of the sauces myself, made the decorations and displays. Father might have got into trouble over how many hours I was working but … it wasn't work for me, it was fun. He and mother had been so nervous and guilty about investing their child's money in the company but, of course, none of it was an issue. The first Kilgharrah's was such a success, that I got my investment back in six months and then started to make a profit."

"Wow, I really had no idea."

"When I turned eighteen, Balinor drew up legal papers to make me an official fifty percent partner in the company. I wasn't sure about that at the time, as I'd only just started at Cambridge and couldn't help feeling that, for all my influence, it really was my father's restaurant, not mine. More to the point, I didn't think I'd be taken seriously by the board. I always have looked young for my age – don't seem like the typical business type at first glance, but Dad was quite happy to continue to protect me from all the hype. People were beginning to forget my child chef past and I admit that it was nice to be able to keep a low profile at long last and not be recognised and so, the mysterious Emrys continued to play his part – and the mystery of that was good for business too, as your father said."

"So, it's you, it's _all_ you. The menu, the dragons, the food … everything?"

"I do love you, Morgana, but …"

"Merlin ..." she gasped, moving forwards, obviously excited by his sudden declaration.

"No, wait, I have to say this. You have to understand that my restaurant is everything to me. It's my life, my family … that is why I was reluctant to form any close relationships – why I was so devastated when you …" He shook his head. "Why I thought that my feelings for you might make me loose everything. No matter how much I care for you, the restaurant comes first. When my father died I inherited Kilgharrah's – all of it. It's mine now and I have a responsibility to all those people, my customers, all my employees and I can't – I _won't_ let anyone take it away from me."

"I understand and you know that I'm fully on your side now … I've told you that.

"I know," he nodded calmly. "I do understand and I really want to trust you."

"You can," she pushed and he nodded again, before telling her a little more about the proposed merger but, yet again, he had to continue to be slightly evasive when it came to mentioning the real reason for trusting Arthur; both his attachment to Gwen and his own visions on their shared destiny.

"I'll come and work for you too," she suddenly offered. "I don't enjoy my current job – well, this business world was perhaps never really my thing but, working for Kilgharrah's, that would be different, I could do that."

"No," said Merlin, shaking his head. "It's good of you to offer, but you shouldn't do something unless you're totally passionate about it. You're right though, you really shouldn't be working for Camelot either - especially if you don't enjoy it."

"That's all very well but, what else would I do? Where else could I get such a well paid job?"

"It's not all about money."

"Says the billionaire," she countered and Merlin grinned.

"I earned that money through passion. My parents never pushed me into it – it was always what I wanted to do. You should do what you want to do, even if it meant you had to give up your high-class lifestyle. Not that you would have to give up anything, not with your talent."

"I don't understand."

"You should be a full time photographer. Make it your career."

"I can't do that. Impossible. What would Uther think? How could I possibly make a decent wage from that?"

"Have you looked at your Comp this evening?" Merlin asked with a broad grin.

"My Comp? What's that got to do with anything?" He watched her with amusement as she took the device out of her bag and started to read the various messages that Morgause had been sending both of them that evening. Messages about the numerous, very large offers for the photos on display here, plus others inviting Morgan to display 'his' work in other events in the upcoming months – enough for her to start carving out a basic career. Even with all his current concerns about Kilgharrah's, Merlin couldn't help but start automatically planning how he could help her to develop these offers into a serious, profitable business.

"But … how did you know …?" she asked.

"Morgause has been sending me reports too," he replied, holding up his own Comp, and she groaned as her earlier suspicion was confirmed.

"It _was_ you that got in contact with her for me, not Arthur. Why didn't you say?"

"What would have been the fun in that?" he replied innocently. "I know it wouldn't always be a secure income – could be touch and go at times, but you could follow your dream – it's what we should all do."

"But, Uther …"

"You're twenty-three, Morgana. You don't need to be supported by your father and … if you do need help whilst you're setting up then, I'll do it. It's not as if I don't have a bit of money after all and – well, why wouldn't I want to help my girlfriend to follow her heart. If we're going to be … well, if this relationship works then … it makes perfect sense anyway."

"Merlin, you really don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to. I just want to see you happy, that's all." She quickly stood, pulling him up with her, and threw her arms around him bringing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. His heart leapt at the move and he quickly took advantage of the situation, pulling her closer and kissing her back wholeheartedly, his hands exploring her curves under the soft silk and hers now enthusiastically tangling in his hair.

xoxOxox

"Where have you two been?" Arthur asked suspiciously as they made their way back towards the main ballroom.

"Just talking," Morgana replied quickly whilst Gwen tried unsuccessfully to muffle a giggle.

"Really?" said Arthur sceptically. "So, if you were 'just talking' then why is Merlin wearing such a fetching shade of lipstick?" Merlin turned bright pink and hastily rubbed at his lips with the back of his hand, glaring at Arthur whilst the blond smirked back.

"Not that it's any of your business," Morgana stated haughtily.

"If you say so, but I thought I'd better let you know that Father's looking for you and that he was talking to Aredian a few minutes ago who honestly looked like the proverbial cat that had got the cream."

"Oh drat!" Morgana cursed.

The two couples walked into the main hall passing a well-known magazine and television social reporter and the woman's eyes suddenly widened as they approached.

"They can't possible recognise us, can they?" Arthur asked.

"Ah, that might be me," Merlin admitted.

"Oh, really and why on earth would she be interested in _you_?" Arthur asked.

"Despite what Uther says, the whole world does not revolve around you, your highness," Merlin countered aware of the girls exchanging an amused smile at their banter.

"I never said it did but, just because you were once a famous child-star, does not mean that the whole world revolves around you either. 'Merlin the Saucerer' indeed. What sort of title is that?"

"Not my idea, I can assure you," Merlin muttered in response.

"And what is it with your company suddenly saying they could trust me, but not my father? What am I supposed to say when he quizzes me about that?"

"There's no point fighting destiny, Arthur, I thought we'd already established that."

"What? What are you talking about, Merlin?" Arthur was confused and Merlin winced a little, wishing he'd rephrased the comment.

"After Gwen and I made up with you two, we all decided that it would be better to have your family as our allies rather than our enemies. It makes sound business sense too and … well, it was always inevitable – surely you must have sensed it too."

"Sensed what? Fate? Destiny? Honestly, I get enough of that sort of talk from Father. What would you know about such things? Or are you really a sorcerer and can see the future or something?" Merlin grinned in reply. _Oh, if only he knew!_ "So, that whole thing yesterday was as much about me and Guinevere as it was about … business?" Merlin shrugged and Arthur suddenly turned his attention to Gwen. "You talked to him about … Wednesday?" he asked her, sounding a little nervous at the prospect.

"Of course I did, he's my best friend, we tell each other everything," she replied with a shrug.

"Hang on a minute. Everything?" asked Morgana then, her voice sounding unnaturally high. She glared at Merlin who ducked his head.

"Well, perhaps not … everything but … well, most things. Well not absolutely everything … I mean … ah ..." Gwen winced as she noticed Morgana's glare turn on her, "... sorry."

"And the board of Kilgharrah's just accepted that? From you?" Arthur continued.

"Considering my … abilities … I have a certain reputation within the restaurant ..." Merlin said carefully, "and … well, they trust my judgement because …"

"Because …?" The girls had been turning their gaze back and forward between the pair, as if watching a ball at a tennis match and Morgana suddenly giggled, as if realising how amusing it must have looked. Merlin, meanwhile was searching for an escape route. He felt that he'd shared more than enough secrets for one night and would rather wait for a bit before revealing anything else.

"Ah, it seems your father's trying to get our attention," he said, actually pleased to see Uther for once.

"You're going to have to tell him," Morgana whispered then, and he shrugged.

"I suppose. Actually, I was rather hoping he might work it out for himself."

"Don't hold your breath," she replied as they finally reached Uther's position.

"Morgana," said her father in the same tone he'd used at her flat when he'd suspected her of having a 'guest' that morning. "Aredian's just found out the name of this mysterious photographer."

"Oh?" she replied, attempting an innocent tone.

"Morgan Le Fey. What do you think about that?"

"Ah …"

"Only, unless your grandfather has somehow managed to jump out of his grave and take pictures of these two boys recently, the only thing I can think of is that you've reverted to your childish bad habits and have been going behind my back, yet again."

"Childish? Uther, how can you say that when you've seen how much people are talking about my photographs this evening?"

"So, it _is_ true?"

"Yes," she replied lifting her chin as high as she could.

"Well, I can't allow it to continue, obviously."

"What?"

"No daughter of mine is going to be dabbling in the arts – you have a reputation to maintain." Merlin snorted in response and Uther quickly rounded on him. "And I suppose you've been encouraging her? Your work in catering as a child was obviously a bad influence on you too."

"I _still_ work in catering," he replied confidently, "and happen to be very good at what I do." Uther seemed a little surprised by his confidence, whilst Arthur look impressed ... and then rather suspicious.

"Well yes, you were educated in Cambridge – the less said about that, the better," Uther continued. "Morgana, however, is Dark Blue and I will not have a member of my family or my company involved in such practises."

"Not a problem. I resign," she hissed, and, believe me, if it were possible to quit as your daughter I'd do that too."

"There is no need to over-react," Uther said calmly, "Once you think this through I'm sure you'll realise how difficult it would be for you to pursue such a 'hobby' without my financial support." Morgana turned to look at Merlin who simply smiled gently back and nodded, taking a small step forward.

"That won't be a problem, Mr. Pendragon," he said. "I've already agreed to be Morgana's investor in her new photography business and can guarantee that she will have all the financial support she needs." Gwen smiled broadly, whilst Morgana tried hard not to laugh at the sceptical looks that both Arthur and Uther were giving Merlin.

"You?" said her brother.

"Exactly what financial support to you think _you_ could give her?" Uther continued.

"Do you have any idea how much money I made whilst competing on that show? How much of a reputation I built?" he replied and Uther's jaw dropped open as he recalled just how famous Merlin had been as a child.

"But ..." stuttered Arthur. "Why would you work as maître d' if you have all that money?"

"Because I enjoy the work," said Merlin with a casual shrug. "Anyway, I don't always do that job. As I said to Morgana during that shoot, most of the people who work at Kilgharrah's do a number of different jobs. As it happens, I only host on Saturday nights – the rest of the week I … have other work to do."

"Such as?" Merlin gave Arthur an amused grin and her brother frowned suspiciously, perhaps starting to put all the pieces of the puzzle together after all. Uther, however, was too cross to be thinking straight.

"Well, I obviously couldn't comment earlier when we there were others around," Uther continued, "but I shall say now that I assumed your reason for bringing these two as dates was business, but I can see that they have been a bad influence on both of you and I really cannot sanction these relationships any more – not considering all the bad blood there is between Leodegrance and I now, and not to mention all the underhanded schemes employed by Kilgharrah's recently.

"Surely that's irrelevant now," said Arthur. "You've passed the shares onto me and I'm the one who will be in talks with the company regarding a future merger. As such I now consider Guinevere, her father and Merlin's family as allies and so any relationship we have with them can only improve relations – business and personal."

"The ink is hardly dry on that contract," said Uther, "What interests me is just how long these relationships have been going on for, especially considering Mr. Lothian's rather crude comment during Monday's meeting." He then suddenly turned on Morgana. "Was this who you were trying to hide from me that morning?" he asked, waving a hand at Merlin and she winced, despite her best efforts not to react. "Talk about 'sleeping with the enemy', exactly what were you trying to prove?"

"Merlin is not the enemy," she said and then winced again as her father raised his eyebrows – obviously taking note that she had not denied the other part of that statement.

"Father, you might not sanction that relationship but I do," said Arthur firmly. He suddenly looked at Merlin and froze, a small frown appearing. "It appears that I will be working closely with Merlin from now on and so I'm quite happy for him to be dating my sister." Merlin looked straight at Arthur and saw both shock and understanding within the blue depths. He'd worked it out – connected the child chef with the confident businessman, with the close friend of Gwen and probably felt that strange push of 'destiny' that he'd been getting the last week or so too. Merlin gave him a knowing glance back, as if confirming his silent suspicion. "As for Guinevere," Arthur continued. "I understand that Mrs. Ambrosius and Mr. Leodegrance are happy about her relationship with me and believe it helps to secure our future merger."

Uther blanched as he said this and Morgana also looked closely at her brother trying to work out if his words had a double meaning.

"You don't know what you are saying, Arthur," said their father. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. That company …" He paused, shaking his head. "You were right when you said we should have left well alone but now … now they've got you snared in more ways than one and …"

"No, Father, in this matter, the business is irrelevant. This is all about my feelings for Guinevere." Arthur blinked hard, apparently realising that he was, at long last, standing up to Uther. "In fact, I shall prove just how serious I am," and, with that, he athletically jumped up onto a nearby table, picked up a glass and spoon, and tapped the two gently together until the whole hall fell silent, whilst Uther folded his arms and glared.

"Good evening, everyone - sorry to interrupt. For those of you that don't know, my name is Arthur Pendragon of the Camelot corporation and I have a couple of announcements to make." Merlin grinned at Gwen who was now looking very nervous. Morgana was simply looking confused.

"Firstly I would like to announce that I am shortly to join the board of Kilgharrah's with the full approval of the whole of their company. I believe that Mr. Emrys and I will shortly be in talks as to how to take this wonderful restaurant into the twenty-second century." He flashed a meaningful look at Merlin who grinned and gave him a firm nod – a much clearer confirmation of his earlier guess. "I wish to state here and now that this is not a take-over by Camelot. The restaurant will continue to be run by it's current owner and I shall simply be advising and assisting in my own small way." He paused for a moment, allowing the mutters and whispers to continue for a while. "I also have another, less serious announcement to make … Guinevere?" He bent down and held out a hand, encouraging Gwen to step up onto a chair and from there to join him on the table. "I wish to introduce my fiancée, Guinevere Leodegrance. Yesterday I asked her to marry me and she was generous enough to accept which, considering everything that's been happening recently, proves that she really is far too good for me."

The whole of the hall erupted into loud applause as Arthur pulled Gwen close and kissed her passionately in front of everyone. Uther muttered something about 'ingratitude' under his breath and moved out to the bar; probably to get a strong drink.

Merlin moved closer to a still stunned looking Morgana and bent down to whisper in her ear. "_That's_ why I now trust him."

"And do you trust me yet?" she asked as Arthur and Gwen dismounted the table to receive their congratulations from a rapidly gathering crowd.

"I'm getting there," Merlin replied. "Perhaps I stand a better chance of guaranteeing your loyalty if I start merger talks with you too." His heart pounded as he said it. Should he be saying this? He was the one that had told Gwen it was far too early for such a commitment but then … there was this feeling about their relationship too – a feeling that this was just … right, destined - meant to be.

Morgana swallowed hard at the comment. "Exactly what sort of merger are we talking about here?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, much the same sort as Arthur and Gwen's I imagine," he replied nervously. He knew he'd never have said such a thing if he'd been sober.

"And you reckon you can offer good enough incentives for me to accept such a proposal?" she replied, and his heart beat faster as he realised that she was encouraging him to continue.

"I believe I could close such a deal with a single item," he replied, suddenly more confident.

"Oh really?" Morgana challenged.

"Easily."

"And that would be?"

"My chocolate desert, once a week ... for life," he answered, grinning as Morgana gasped at the prospect. "Well, do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Morgana replied, pulling Merlin into a passionate, public embrace of her own.

XoxOxox

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><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 11: Reminiscing. <strong>Merlin invites the siblings home and Gwen puts a recording of an old MasterChef episode on.

_**A/N **So, we've caught up at long last. This is the end of the 'Kilgharrah's' story - again. Now we start with the sequel itself. What are you expecting/hoping to see? _


	11. Reminiscing

_Putting this up a little earlier than planned, because I know we're all keen to get on with the sequel and this is one of my favourite chapters. :D_**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 11. Reminiscing<strong>

"Well, that was certainly the most memorable Oxbridge Ball ever," Morgana commented as the four left the venue that evening, hand in hand with their respective partners.

"Agreed," said Arthur exchanging a loving smile with Gwen whilst they continued down the stairs toward the lines of waiting cars and taxis.

"Is Uther going back to the country house tonight?" Morgana asked nervously.

"Ah, yes," Arthur nodded with a small grimace, "and I think we should both give him a day or two to deal with the various shocks we threw his way tonight, don't you?"

"Except that he said he was expecting us for Sunday lunch as usual tomorrow," Morgana continued.

"Really?" Arthur groaned and she nodded a confirmation.

"You should come back home with us tonight, of course," said Merlin calmly, pretending to ignore the sudden look of panic that Gwen threw in his direction.

"Well, I'm not sure ... That is ..." Arthur started.

"Nonsense. Kilgharrah's is only five minutes away and it's not that late yet," Merlin replied as Morgana looped her arm in his and shot him a quizzical look. "I think it's probably about time now, don't you?" he whispered to her. "I mean, they are officially engaged, after all."

"Absolutely," Morgana agreed, smirking back at him.

Merlin took them all back to their shared living room, and moved swiftly to the kitchen to start brewing fresh coffee and gather a few things from the cupboard for them to nibble. He filled a few glasses with some home baked crisps and smiled as he noted the chocolate deserts in the fridge that he'd made earlier. Time to deliver on that promise to Morgana after coffee and, hopefully, receive a rather nice reward in return. Not that that was likely to be an issue after all the looks she'd been shooting at him during the last couple of hours.

Merlin came forward with their drinks to notice that Gwen had switched on the large flat screen and was currently fiddling with the main data menu on the remote control. Arthur and Morgana automatically seated themselves on the large sofa set around the coffee table, looking up at the television curiously, and so Merlin put the tray down on the large table in front of them so they could easily help themselves.

"What are you looking for, Gwen?" he asked.

"It's alright, I've found it," she replied, moving to sit next to Arthur who, having taken his mug of coffee from the tray, leant carefully back on the sofa and threw his free arm around his fiancée's shoulders. Merlin adopted a similar position next to Morgana and gave Gwen a suspicious look as she pointed the handset toward the screen and turned a worryingly wicked grin towards him. He tipped his head at his friend suspiciously but she ignored him, turning her attention back to the television.

"Now, on today's MasterChef, the three remaining contestants have some unexpected competition." The clear voice of a television commentator rang out across the living room.

"Oh, Gwen, no!" Merlin wailed, suddenly realising her plan. Morgana suddenly sat up with an excited smile.

"Ooh, are we going to see …?" She turned to see his horrified expression and her grin grew even wider. "When was this recorded?" she asked Gwen.

"Almost fifteen years ago," she said with a bright smile. Arthur barked a laugh and Merlin groaned again whilst Morgana snuggled up to him with a satisfied sigh. On the screen, the remaining contestants and their progress through the competition had been re-introduced to the audience and now the two presenters/judges came forward to announce the challenge. Realising that there was no way out of it, Merlin took a sip of his coffee and settled down to watch the show.

"So, for today's task, we want you to make an especially challenging desert - Chocolate Fondant," one of the presenters announced gleefully. The camera turned to the contestants to see quite obvious panic flick across their faces.

"It's not _that_ difficult," Merlin quietly scoffed.

"Ssh," the other three scolded him without taking their eyes off the screen.

"Now, of course, we were supposed to have four competitors left at this point but, due to Sarah's unfortunate family crisis, we are one short and so, to make up the numbers, we've invited someone to stand in for her. Today your food will not only be judged on taste, timing and presentation but will also be directly compared to the fourth competitor's effort."

"Not to worry," the other presenter said with a broad smile. "I can assure you that this young man doesn't have any more years experience of cooking than you. In fact he has a great deal less than two of you."

"Although, to be fair," the first presenter clarified. "He does have rather more experience of professional cooking and MasterChef competitions."

"No, no, you're quite right," the second presenter agreed. Both were grinning broadly and the camera showed the competitors to be highly suspicious of their motives.

"Oh, just get on with it," Arthur complained.

"Please welcome, the winner of Junior MasterChef for the last three years running. Merlin Wyllt; aka, 'The Saucerer'."

The male competitor looked slightly amused at the announcement, whilst the camera picked up a look of total panic on the youngest of the two women's faces. The middle aged lady's expression quickly changed from surprise, to delight, to one that might not be out of place on a teenage girl about to meet her favourite pop idol.

Then the door opened and Merlin winced as he watched his ten year old self walk in, smiling broadly. Next to him he heard Morgana make a strange strangled sound and turned to see her looking at the screen with wide eyes and the most delighted look on her face.

"Aw … so cute!" she cooed. Arthur's reaction was half way between a laugh and a scoff.

"Oh the ears, Merlin! I just love how that short hair cut shows them off to such effect. It's a good job they didn't grow in line with the rest of you."

"Shame the same can't be said about your waist line," Merlin retorted without a pause.

"I am not … fat."

"Shut up, Arthur, just because you were never that adorable," Morgana added.

"Hush, you're going to miss it," said Gwen with a smile at their banter.

"Hello, Merlin. Thank you for coming on our show at such short notice," said the presenter kindly. Young Merlin grinned broadly causing another muffled 'aah' from Morgana whilst Gwen giggled and Merlin and Arthur grumbled.

"You're welcome, Phil. Probably wouldn't have ended up on the adult show otherwise so it's good to be here."

"No, I don't expect you'll need to enter this after such early success. What are you doing at the moment?"

"Oh, promotion stuff mostly but, I am still cooking, of course and I've entered a few other competitions."

"Oh, have you won any more?" Young Merlin ducked his head and shifted slightly, obviously embarrassed. He looked up at the adults through his long eyelashes and shrugged. "Ah yes ... well, all of them so far." On the screen the two women shot each other wide-eyed, slightly broody looking glances, whilst Morgana and Gwen exchanged something similar here on the sofa.

"Oh, God, I think I'm going to be sick," Arthur complained. "Ouch! Guinevere?"

"How can you not think that's cute?" she asked, pointing to the screen.

"Because 'that's' Merlin and, in case you'd forgotten, the twenty four year old version is sitting on the other side of you and probably squirming with embarrassment.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"See."

"But, both Merlins are cute and this one's all mine," Morgana gloated, snuggling closer to him, her free hand now gently rubbing the inside of his leg and making him embarrassed for a completely different reason.

"Which brings up the other reason I feel sick," Arthur continued, having noticed his sister's latest move. "Look, it seems we're down to the proper part of the show at long last. Let's see which one of them makes a total mess of it, that's always the fun part of these programmes."

"Arthur!" Morgana complained whilst Merlin laughed slightly in response. "Not you though, I assume?" she asked him quietly.

"Nope."

In a way, Arthur was right, now the show had moved onto the actual challenge, Merlin felt he could view it far more dispassionately and, as he hadn't seen this particular recording for several years, he was actually very interested in the various glances he got of his younger self cooking. He felt almost surprised at how well he seemed to be doing, as if he was watching a total stranger. The most interesting observation was how much more flustered the three adults looked than he did. Alright, so it was their competition and he was just a guest but still, he remembered that he _had_ been nervous - had been worried about being shown up as the pretentious kid rather than the serious chef he'd liked to believe he was at this point.

He sighed as he realised that his Dad would be there now - just off stage, keeping an eye on him, ready to give him a big hug when he'd finished. Merlin felt tears prick at the thought and quickly tried to blink them away, focusing instead on the shot of his younger self mixing the chocolate sauce. His tears were quickly replaced by a knowing grin.

"Beat that, guys," he whispered.

"Oh dear," Morgana muttered next to him, "If that's even half as good as what you served me the other week …?"

"Better than half, I would say," Merlin replied confidently.

"It's all about timing, of course." The presenter-chefs were talking to camera as the competitors continued to slave away behind them.

"... and that has always been Sam's weakness," the other agreed.

"Remaining calm under pressure is also important and yet, there's only one here that can really be said to be showing that at the moment." The camera focused on three very red and flustered looking adults and one calm little boy with a contented look on his face.

"He's always been like that, ever since the first round of the first competition. Do you think that's just his age? Do you think it's harder to be nervous as a child?"

"It's an interesting question, but we saw plenty of youngsters on that show crumble under the pressure, and we've seen enough adults on here with the same skill as our magician."

"True enough, but Merlin has the natural ability and work ethic to back up his lack of nerves."

"Shows what he knows," Merlin scoffed. "I was always pretty scared on these days. Not terrified or anything, but always a lot more apprehensive then I tended to make out."

"Which is what I was always taught about business," Arthur agreed. "Don't show them how scared you are. It's pretty much the same with everything in life, I think." Merlin exchanged a glance with the blond and they both nodded. He would never have thought that he could have ever got on with someone like Arthur but was gradually realising that he was looking forward to spending time with the man and learning more about him.

"Time up, step away from your benches." On the screen, the four did as they were told. A raised eyebrow from the man, a slight look of panic from the younger lady and a resigned sigh from the older. Young Merlin's head was bowed slightly, but the subtle smirk playing across his lips was quite easily picked up by the camera.

"Not quite as modest as you like to make out, are you, _Mer_lin," Arthur asked.

"No place for modesty in the kitchen," he retorted.

"Or the bedroom, apparently."

"Morgana!" Merlin and Arthur complained whilst Gwen giggled at her comment.

All four offerings looked acceptable enough at first glance. All fairly similar, accept that perhaps one or two had a slightly uneven shape and that the accompanying sauce had been poured over one like custard, resulting in a loud scoff from Merlin, whilst two other's were more elegantly poured around the base. Merlin's sponge however looked as if it had been given precise measurements, sitting in the exact centre of the plate with the sauce not only surrounding the desert but apparently lapping up against the sides of it like small waves around a lighthouse.

"How did you do that?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Magic," Merlin responded automatically whilst, unseen, Gwen raised her eyes to the ceiling. The presenters were now taking on the role of judges, approaching each competitor's dish, spoon in hand and slowly breaking the surface see what happened. As expected, one desert was breached to show it looking just like a plain chocolate sponge with only a hint of sauce showing in the slightly more moist centre. "Amateur mistake," Merlin observed sadly.

The other two adults' were better with both deserts oozing out delicious looking chocolate sauce as the spoon went in. Merlin heard Morgana moan slightly at the sight and he grinned, knowing exactly what chocolate tended to do to her.

Talking of which.

He got up and walked to the fridge whilst the other three watched the rest of the critique; the lady being told her fondant tasted delicious but she'd let herself down on presentation and the man being told that the sauce, although the right texture, did not have the rich taste that it was supposed to.

Merlin placed the tray of four chocolate deserts on the coffee table before sitting back down and throwing his arm back around Morgana. She glanced at the tall glasses and gave him a slightly exasperated look before turning back to watch the presenters' view of young Merlin's desert.

"Of course, it does all look rather set up," Arthur observed, before the first judge had even put his spoon in. "I mean, you sort of know what's going to happen, even if you didn't know you were genuinely quite good."

"_Quite_ good?" Merlin asked in an offended tone and Morgana giggled. On the screen the chocolate sauce oozed out beautifully and the presenter took a spoonful of sponge, chocolate sauce and the accompanying vanilla sauce. The camera moved closer as he put the spoon in his mouth and Merlin quickly turned his glance to his three companions to see them all leaning forward slightly, licking their lips as if tasting it themselves. He grinned and turned back to see a very familiar look on the presenters face. He saw it time and time again at Kilgharrah's and it was basically what motivated him day after day.

"I have never … I mean … you have really excelled yourself this time, Merlin. To say that this is delicious would be something of an understatement." The little boy on the screen blinked, as if surprised but then smiled slightly and nodded, apparently as pleased by the reaction then as he was now.

"And the presentation skills," said the other. He too took a mouthful and apparently melted. "If you ever open a restaurant, do let us know, won't you?" The young Merlin grinned broadly again.

"Did you?" Arthur asked him.

"I think Father sent them invites to our Cardiff opening, yes, but they probably wouldn't have known it was me doing most of the cooking."

"Unless they ordered the chocolate fondant," Morgana joked.

"Talking of chocolate. Tuck in everyone," Merlin said then. "Just a little something I prepared earlier." He grinned broadly and quickly handed Morgana hers.

"I think I need to ask what your intentions are in presenting me with such a thing to eat?" she said.

"Oh, I think you know my intentions only too well. I suspect they're much the same as yours."

"Do you mind?" Arthur complained whilst Morgana and Merlin exchanged another wicked glance.

There was sudden silence in the room as all four ate their deserts. Merlin focused mostly on Arthur and Gwen as he knew he'd struggle to concentrate on anything if he watched Morgana. Of course, he'd deliberately added an extra magic ingredient to this desert and, if it had it's intended effect, he was quite sure that no-one here tonight would be complaining. He grinned as he saw Arthur blink slightly and quickly, greedily, go for another spoonful. He had purposefully given the blond the smaller portion of the special spice however, as he had a feeling that Arthur would not be requiring much assistance tonight, no matter how much of a gentleman he tried to make out he was.

"Merlin … I'm feeling very ..." He turned to Morgana quizzically to see her gazing at him greedily. "I mean very ..."

"Yes, me too. I take it that means you're staying tonight?"

"Stupid question," she replied, grabbing the almost finished desert out of his hand, putting both glasses down and throwing her arms around him in a passionate kiss.

"Hey, do you mind?" Arthur complained again as Merlin was pushed back against the sofa and practically melted under Morgana's ministrations.

"Sorry, we'll just take this next door then, shall we?" she replied, grabbing Merlin's hands and starting towards the door to his flat. Merlin held back, looking at the slightly panicked and nervous looks on the engaged couple's faces.

"Bit late to get a taxi now, Arthur," he said calmly, "but do feel free to stay over. I'd suggest the sofa or one of the spare rooms, but I'm sure Gwen can offer you something better than that."

"Merlin ..." his friend hissed whilst Arthur actually turned pink. Behind him Morgana giggled.

"Up to you, of course," Merlin laughed as she literally dragged him through the door.

"Can't actually believe my brother has held out this long, anyway," said Morgana quickly reaching behind to undo the catch on her dress before letting it fall to the ground. Merlin licked his lips and quickly started to undress too. "But it's obvious you've no objections now?"

"I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I did – seeing what I'm about to do to his sister." It was his turn to grin wickedly as she started to walk towards him naked. He was only stripped to the waist so quickly hurried to catch up.

"Oh, and what are you about to do?"

"You. As many times as you can handle," he said quickly stepping out of his jeans and underwear.

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"Nope, it's a promise," he replied, quickly moving to kiss her. Seeing his desert had contained the slightly larger does of the magical aphrodisiac he'd put in all of their glasses, he was fairly confident it was a promise he would be able to keep.

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 12: Dreaming. <strong>Merlin quizzes Morgana about her dreams and shares his last secret with her.

_**A/N **__Actually, I don't watch cookery programmes as a rule, but I did find myself catching a late night repeat of Celebrity MasterChef recently when I couldn't sleep and then continued to follow the rest of the series, citing 'research' as an excuse and constantly imagining how Merlin would be dealing with the challenges._

_As I said, this sequel was always an excuse for more M rated Mergana! I'm sure I can manage a little more of that in upcoming chapters too as I've certainly had no complaints about any of the sexy stuff so far!_

_Oh dear, I've been trying so hard to slip little clues for the sequel into the early chapters of this story that I got confused and made a mistake - contridicting something I stated as fact in 'Kigharrah's'. So, I've just edited the two chapters that contained the errors by making some tiny corrections. No-one called me on it so hopefully I got away with it ;)  
><em>

_OMG – next week's trailer – what Morgana does to Merlin? I'd better stay spoiler free here but … it the episode looks like a Mergana fan's dream come true! That scene is going to end up in a future fanfic, I'm quite determined!_

_30/10/11  
><em>


	12. Dreaming

**Chapter 12: Dreaming**

"God, I've missed you," Merlin gasped as he gathered Morgana into his arms after yet another passionate session of love making.

"Mmm," she muttered sleepily. "Let's not fall out again." He winced as she said it, trying to pluck up enough courage for this next conversation.

"Ah, Morgana. There is something else. Another secret that I really have to tell you." He waited for a moment but could only hear her steady breathing; far too steady. "Gana?" She was asleep but, this had to be dealt with - and soon. He flatly refused to keep any more important secrets from the woman he loved.

Everything about this relationship was too fast. He'd gone out with Freya for six months and they had only just started to talk about taking things further. They had regular dates, long talks and sweet kisses for most of the time and it was only during one session, shortly before her accident, that he'd invited her back to his flat and the kissing had started to turn into something more. That had prompted them both to call a halt and have a long talk about what they wanted from their relationship - both shyly confessing to their lack of experience and their wish for the other to be their first.

How many times had Merlin regretted the fact that they had so carefully talked and planned the perfect date, the perfect first night together, only for him to have her so cruelly snatched away from him by a hit-and-run driver one week before that very same birthday? However, by the time he and Freya had started talking about the possibility of sex, they'd already known so much about each other; their childhoods their family and friends, all their hopes and dreams for the future and he had told her all his secrets too - one at a time - making certain that he would be keeping nothing from her on their very special night.

However, with Morgana it was almost the reverse. As if they'd had their relationship backwards and now Merlin felt guilty for keeping all the secrets when, honestly, he would have hardly had the time to confess everything in the mere two weeks they had known each other, even if they hadn't fallen out half way through.

He was still awake, his mind going over his past love and his current secrets and not allowing him to relax, when he felt Morgana start to move against him in a way that was already beginning to feel familiar.

She was dreaming again.

He moved slightly to observe her face, listen to her and extend his senses - everything to try find out what was going on. He remembered the first one of these nightmares he'd witnessed - one of the other things that had made him realise that she'd not been entirely truthful with him at first. Now that he knew that she had never set out to hurt him, that nightmare and her pleas for forgiveness made even more sense, but all of that was in the past ... what was she muttering about now?

"Don't trust him ... you can't. Arthur ... don't believe him," she cried out and Merlin was suddenly alert. He'd heard her say something like that before tonight too and he realised that he was no longer even contemplating that this might be a simple dream. He thought back to her earlier nightmares and realised that he'd got it right from that very first night. She did have some talent - the talent of prophecy through her dreams.

"No! Everything we've worked for ... no more secrets. It wasn't an accident – he wasn't the target, Merlin. Oh, my _poor_ Merlin! … Jennifer … the Clan Wars … we need to ..."

Her voice trailed off into muttering and so Merlin decided to wake her, certain she was more likely to remember it than if he just left her alone and let her fall back into an ordinary sleep. He gently called her name, kissing and stroking her hair until she woke up with a start.

"Merlin?" she gasped.

"Morgana ... quickly, tell me what you dreamt?" She sat bolt upright at the question, her face suddenly turning even paler.

"No, no ... I can't. It's nothing ... it's not important ... just a dream."

"Hush, it's alright. I understand, but you can tell me. Who is it that Arthur shouldn't trust? What wasn't an accident? Who's Jennifer? I think it's important - I think it has something to do with me."

"No, Arthur can trust you, he _does_ trust you, no matter how much he teases you."

"That's not what I meant. Morgana please tell me what you saw."

"No, I have to ignore them, it doesn't help to think about them."

"You're special, I understand that. I know what it's like."

"How could you hope to understand?"

"I do understand, believe me..." She shook her head. "Look at me, Morgana. Trust me. I said I had more secrets but it's only really one. I have gifts just like you, I can do unusual things ... magic ..."

She shook her head in denial at what she was hearing. "No ..."

"Please, I think you know it's true. Think about how Uther couldn't find me in the wardrobe, remember how I said I followed you and Arthur that morning?"

She suddenly seemed more aware, turning to face him in the bed, the duvet thankfully covering both their nakedness so neither could be distracted. Merlin even debating suggesting they both got dressed, just so they could have this conversation properly, but he knew that would kill this moment even more than inappropriate passion would.

"I did wonder ..." She looked at him closely, her head tipping slightly. "What did you do exactly? How did Uther not know you were there?"

"Old Jedi mind trick," Merlin answered with a cheeky grin. Morgana stared at him for several seconds before starting to grin. "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded," he continued to quote in a deep English accent.

"Be serious," she laughed. "What was it really?" she asked then, now obviously much calmer.

"I don't use that skill very much at all. In fact, I'm not sure when I last did before that. It's a type of hypnosis, I suppose, just pushing my mind into the other person's and making a strong suggestion. I could do that next when you're dreaming if you'd let me – try to sense what you're feeling? Or I could actually hypnotise you after the event," he mused. "I think I know how to do that."

"How did you manage to follow me and Arthur that time?" she asked, shaking her head and obviously trying to deliberately move his attention away from her dreams.

"I slowed down time."

"No way! You can really do that?"

He grinned and, noticing that she was currently sitting in the middle of the bed, quickly decided to play the same trick on her. He froze time, got out of bed, walked around to the window side and then got back in under the covers before stopping the spell. He grinned gleefully as she yelped and physically jumped in shock at him apparently having disappeared from one side of the bed and reappeared on the other in a split second.

"Merlin!" she yelled, hitting him hard on the arm.

"Ouch!"

"_Mer_lin ..?" she asked in exactly the same tone of voice as Arthur tended to use. "Have you used this magic on me before? Have you used it ... in bed?"

"Ah, perhaps?" He winced and she suddenly laughed out loud.

"And your cookery?"

"Only a very little for either of those last two things," he replied haughtily. "Anything more dramatic tends to have a negative effect on me."

"You really are a naughty boy, aren't you?" she said, suddenly moving closer and stealing a quick but passionate kiss. He allowed it for a moment before pulling gently away, determined to finish this conversation.

"I can promise not to use it on you again, if you want?"

"Oh, I didn't say that. Let's not be too hasty," she said with a smile and he laughed in response.

"Morgana, your dreams. Tell me about them. You dreamt of me being upset with you before didn't you?"

"Yes but, Merlin, I really don't remember them - not any more. There's just this subtle feeling sometimes - like the time when I started to fall for you. I always had this strange feeling whenever I was evasive with you, it was more than simple guilt about keeping secrets, it was a deep dread, as if knowing something bad was going to come of not being honest with you. I'd obviously dreamt it but ... could only remember that I had on a subconscious level."

"Have you ever been able to remember them clearly before the event?"

"Oh yes, that was the problem, you see. It happened a few times when I was a child and neither my real father or Uther were very impressed when I started to say I was dreaming about the future. They kept sending me to these therapists, who kept giving me drugs and trying to convince me that they were just ordinary dreams. In the end, I think I rather subdued the dreams myself, just to convince myself and everyone else that I was normal. As I couldn't actually remember anything specific, it was easier to just say they were nightmares and my family were always too nervous of my gift to question me any further.

"But, I'm not nervous of your gift and I don't think you should be afraid of your dreams either. If you let me I can help you to remember them, use my gifts to help you with yours?" Merlin pushed.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea ..."

"Why not? What if Arthur really is going to be in trouble and remembering your dreams can help him?"

"Well ..."

"Morgana. Think really carefully. Are you sure you can't remember anything specific?"

"No, not really. Now we're talking about my lying to you I sort of remember those ones now – it's always so much easier to remember them with hindsight." She sighed "What did I say whilst I was dreaming this time?" she asked. "If you tell me, it might jog my memory."

"Well, twice now I've heard you ask Arthur not to trust someone or something."

"Not you?"

"I didn't get that impression and you said that idea didn't feel right either?"

"No, but I'm getting nothing else about it now."

"And this is also the second time you've mentioned a Jennifer?"

"Honestly, I don't think I know anyone of that name – there was a girl at school once but, other than that … No, sorry."

"Then, at the end you mentioned an attack, the Clan Wars and mentioned my name too."

"The Clan Wars? But, that doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?"

"Because that was all in the past and I only dream of the future?"

"Do you? How do you know if you don't remember?"

"Well, I ..."

"I've had a few visions myself – usually when awake and, they're rarely as specific as past, present or future. Even if the message is about the future, you could well be getting information about the past which is relevant in some way."

"You said you thought it had something to do with you?"

"Well you do sometimes say my name but it's not just that. It's not that I think it is all about me but ... it's like you said, there's a feeling there, as if it's connected to me somehow." He looked at her closely. "Are you sure you can't remember any more?"

"No, I'm sorry but ... if you have this gift too and if I'm dreaming about something connected to you, then why aren't you getting these messages as well?"

"I have had a couple recently but mine are less visions of the future and more cryptic clues." He pulled a face as he thought about how obscure some of those clues really were. "I suppose that they've been about Arthur too, hinting that I should trust him and bring him into Kilgharrah's and ..." he frowned also trying to remember. "Perhaps they are connected, Morgana. Perhaps you and I are both receiving different pieces of the puzzle and that it needs both of us to work it out."

"Well then, perhaps now I know there's someone on my side in this, I will be able to remember my dreams a little more. Perhaps we should start making a note of all our dreams and visions and try to see what we're being told?"

"So you'll let me help you to remember them? Even if it means pushing into your mind a little?"

She hesitated for the longest time before nodding. "Yes. I have no secrets from you any more, Merlin. Of course I'll let you do that."

"Thank you. Certainly I'm not going to complain about spending more nights with you whilst we work on this." She laughed then, looking far more relaxed and, again, started to initiate a kiss, one hand moving confidently under the duvet to caress him. "Morgana ... at the risk of repeating myself ... can we talk some more first?"

"Really?" she asked, arching a eyebrow slyly.

"Yes, there are other things we need to discuss."

"More secrets?"

"No, but, I really think we need to talk about 'us'." He saw a look of panic flash across her features and couldn't help but feel hurt by the reaction. "Now you look more terrified than you did when we were talking about your dreams," he said with a pout.

"I'm sorry but ... Merlin, you are my first steady ..." She frowned, as if searching for the right word. "... anything ..."

"I'm your 'anything'?" he asked incredulously.

"Sorry. You're my first steady boyfriend."

"You call two weeks with a gap in it, steady?"

"Yes," she confessed. "I've never got past the first date before you."

"Never?" He asked, shocked.

"Didn't want to give them ideas, didn't want to tie myself down."

"So, assuming that you really weren't dating me for information ..."

"No, it was as I said, I assumed I'd just date you once and then move on but ... you used your magic spells on me and ..."

"I'd like to think the magic had very little to do with it," he said haughtily, trying to sound offended.

"I don't think it did, no," she agreed with a smile, "but still, it's difficult for me to think along those lines."

"Okay, I get that. However, last night, at the Ball, we both said ... we hinted that ... this might be more. That it might last ... longer?"

"Yes, I know. I think perhaps that it is serious, Merlin, that we might have a future together but, despite that conversation, I think we ..." she suddenly laughed. "I think we need to slow down with that too."

"Great!" he grumbled sarcastically, "I feel uncomfortable about this relationship if its all about sex and you don't feel comfortable if its all about our future."

"We'll have to try and reach a compromise then."

"Yes."

"So, I've compromised a bit by talking about the future of our relationship, now it's your turn ..." Her hand confidently made its way back under the duvet and Merlin gasped as it reached it's goal.

"I believe that's only fair," he said, quickly turning to pull her into a passionate kiss."

xoxOxox

Merlin woke up with a start as Morgana's cool body suddenly pressed up against him.

"You're cold," he muttered as she snuggled against his back.

"Wimp. I just went next door to get a glass of water."

"It's June – how can you be so cold?"

"You're just too skinny. Here, let me make up for it ..." Her cool hand made it's way to his chest, then down to his tummy before moving even lower. He gasped. "There, that should warm you up," she continued, stroking gently.

"Mmm, that does feel a bit better," he admitted in a teasing tone.

"Anyway, you may be interested to know that the sofa was unoccupied when I went in," she mumbled into his back, placing gentle kisses down his spine in-between words. Merlin chuckled softly.

"Doesn't surprise me."

"And, judging from the noises I could hear next door, it's not likely he's simply bunking down in her flat either."

"Good, I'm looking forward to getting the juicy gossip from Gwen tomorrow," Merlin laughed.

"Yes, about that. Exactly how much do you two tell each other?" she asked nervously.

"Oh, quite a bit ..."

"Merlin!"

"Not full details but, you know … she is my best friend."

"Really? More than any of the boys you know?"

"Yes, I'm not sure what it is but, I've always found it easier to talk to her than to them, and sometimes find I don't always get along with the 'rough, tough, save the world types,' as Gwen likes to call them."

"Like Arthur?"

"Yes, but that's interesting because I think, perhaps, he might just be the exception."

"I think you could be right. I know my brother well and he's pathetic at showing his emotions normally but that doesn't mean he's not capable of being a softy – as you can see from the way he is with Gwen."

"True."

"And I think he really likes you too."

"He's a funny way of showing it," Merlin scoffed.

"Yes but, that's just it. The way he teases you shows just how much he does care and, you're the same with him too, you know?"

"Mmm." He was beginning to feel very sleepy, despite Morgana's gentle kisses and caresses.

"Don't you dare fall asleep on me, Merlin Wyllt," Morgana whispered in his ear before gently blowing in it. "I've got some serious plans for you."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 13: Teasing; <strong>The morning after and the four meet up for breakfast with a lot of friendly banter about last night. However, Merlin's about to become even more embarrassed.

_**A/N.** Sorry this was a bit short. I've been working hard to extend it, but this is as much as I could do without forcing it. I even contemplated merging it in with the next chapter but that didn't work at all. The next one will be longer._

_Well, would you look at that? 96 reviews … isn't that interesting? ;) If you do speculate or ask questions about this fic, I promise to respond. I may not always give you direct answers but I do often give clues.  
><em>

_1/11/11_


	13. Teasing

**Chapter 13: Teasing**

Merlin pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and left Morgana sleeping, while he went next door to the shared sitting room to make breakfast. There he encountered Arthur, dressed in much the same way; although he was wearing his trousers from last night, not having any other option. Merlin grinned as the blond quite obviously jumped and turned pink as he continued to rummage through the various cupboards.

"Morning," said Merlin brightly.

Arthur's reply was more of a grunt and Merlin guessed that he was not at his best at this time of day. "Don't you have any ordinary coffee?" the blond asked.

"By 'ordinary' ..." Merlin asked coming over, "... I assume you mean cheap and nasty granules? What do you think?" Arthur made a disapproving sound. "Don't worry, I came out to put a fresh brew on and I'll make enough of that and breakfast for all four of us."

"Well, you don't need to … ah ..."

"I always do – it's no big deal." He turned away as he bustled around and Arthur started to move away. "So, how did you sleep?" Merlin asked cheekily.

"No comment," Arthur muttered. Merlin turned back around with a grin and was amused to see the tiniest of smiles threaten at the side of Arthur's mouth.

"Be like that, but you should know that I'll be talking to Gwen later anyway."

"No way. She wouldn't?" Merlin turned his back in order to hide his smile.

A few minutes later, the lady in question emerged from her flat, dressed in baggy, cat decorated pyjamas, her hair half tied up and her eyes downcast. Merlin sneaked a glance at the couple and saw them exchange a shy smile as Arthur joined her on the sofa and switched the screen on.

"Breakfast in five minutes, okay, Gwen?" He chirped.

"Yes, thank you, Merlin."

"That coffee smells wonderful," he heard Morgana say as she emerged from his door shortly afterwards.

"What on earth are you wearing, Morgana?" Arthur asked in a shocked voice. Merlin turned around to look at her and his jaw dropped.

"Is that my pyjama shirt?" he queried.

"Yeah. You're lanky enough for it to cover me quite nicely," she replied calmly walking over to the kitchen as Merlin blinked, struggling to tear his gaze away from the sight of her long, uncovered legs.

"Barely," Arthur grumbled and Merlin had to agree with him, although he was certainly enjoying the lack of coverage rather more than the blond. Morgana laughed lightly as she pulled him away from the counter, threw her arms around his shoulders and give him a very passionate kiss. Merlin heard another grumble from Arthur as he returned it, trying hard to resist the temptation to run his hands up her bare legs.

"Don't you think it suits me?" she asked him once he'd released her. He looked down at her and licked his lips.

"Ah yeah, I was just surprised that's all."

"You can have it back, if you want?" she said, actually starting to undo the top button.

"No! I mean ..." She laughed loudly and he grinned as he realised she was joking. "You are _such_ a tease."

"Says you. I'm not the one walking around topless." She ran her hands greedily across his bare chest and went for another kiss.

"Morgana! I'm trying to cook breakfast here." She released him with another grin and made her way over to the sofa where the others were watching a news item about next year's Olympic Games.

"So, you decided to stay over then, Arthur?" Morgana asked as she sat next to Gwen.

"Ah … yeah ..."

"But not here on the sofa?"

"Ah …" Arthur tried to pretend he was concentrating on the television.

"Well, we did both stay in this room for a while," Gwen replied instead, "but then things got a bit … _noisy_ next door so we decided my flat would be better."

"Oops – sorry," said Morgana without a single hint of apology in the word. "Although, we weren't the only ones, you know?"

"Aren't you going to watch this? It's really quite interesting," said her brother and the girls grinned, quite aware that he was trying to distact them.

"Coffee and breakfast is ready," Merlin said loudly, also determined to change the subject. Arthur looked relieved, although still a little embarrassed, as the group moved around the small dining table and started to tuck in; the girls, and even Arthur, complimenting Merlin on his surprisingly tasty offering.

"I'm not really looking forward to lunch today," Morgana admitted, now more serious, "and not because of the food, even if it is unlikely to compare with this for tastiness."

"Absolutely," Arthur agreed. "I'm sure the food will be fine. The conversation however …?" He winced.

"Do you think he's going to object to your plans?" Gwen asked nervously.

"I'm sure he will," Arthur replied with a shrug, "but he can object all he likes, I'm not changing my mind about marrying you and I'm not certainly not going to let him influence me in regard to Kilgharrah's."

"I should think not," Merlin muttered.

"So, I did guess right last night? You really are this mysterious Emrys?" Arthur asked.

"Ah, yes," Merlin admitted.

"And you actually own all of this?"

"Yes, ever since my father died."

"Ah, of course. I suppose I should have made that connection. Sorry. What happened? Do you mind me asking?"

"Ah … I don't really ..." He looked at Morgana and Arthur's concerned faces and Gwen subtly nodded, urging him to trust them. "Pointless really. Just a stupid, random mugging that went wrong and, of course, they just had to be carrying knives, didn't they?"

"Oh, that's horrible," said Morgana, moving closer to him. "You poor thing." There was a beat then – a pause as he looked at her and her eyes widened in surprise. He frantically tried to latch onto the obvious magic within that thought but Arthur was now sympathising some more and the moment was lost.

"Thanks," Merlin replied in response to his comment.

"Well, I don't envy you taking on that responsibility so young," Arthur continued, "But you've obviously done a good job."

"Another compliment, Arthur?" Merlin asked with raised eyebrows.

"Merely an observation," he retorted whilst the two girls exchanged an amused smile. "However, I'm still curious as to why you went to such trouble to get me on board."

"Both to get Uther off my back, but also to have someone around my age to help out. Gaius was always my father's advisor but he's close to retirement now, and Gwaine has his own business to run which means he can only help me in his limited spare time. So, I need someone to help ... hopefully for at least a couple of days a week, especially with my plans for opening a third restaurant. Do you think you can arrange that amount of time?"

"Something to discuss with Father later, I suppose," Arthur replied with a shrug. "I'm going to try and get some time off tomorrow afternoon so perhaps we can meet up then? The restaurant is closed on Mondays I believe?"

"Yes, could you be free at two?"

"Ah, something else to do then, actually," he replied a little nervously and Merlin was sure he exchanged a brief glance with Gwen. "How about three?"

"Sounds good and, Morgana, perhaps we can discuss your new business arrangements tomorrow too?"

"What?" she asked shocked. "Already?"

"You weren't really planning on going back to work for Uther, were you?"

"Well ... I-I hadn't really thought ..."

"Are you sure about this, you two?" Arthur asked. "Can't Morgana just continue to do her photography in her spare time?"

"Perhaps he's right, Merlin. I mean, surely I need time to build up business and ..."

"What, after all the money you made last night and the reputation you've already managed to build? Didn't Morgause have other venues for your work to be shown, anyway?"

"Well ah, yes, actually."

"So, there's no time like the present. You might as well give your father all the bad news in one go."

"I'm just not sure that I ..."

"I'll help you. Trust me. It looks like tomorrow is my 'Pendragon' business day. A meeting with you first about your business and then a meeting with Arthur later about mine."

"Oh, alright. Thanks."

"There really is more to you than first meets the eye isn't there, Merlin?" Arthur said.

"Funny, I was thinking much the same about you," Merlin retorted with a cheeky grin as he started to get up to clear the empty plates.

"That's fine, we'll do the washing up, won't we, Arthur?" said Gwen.

"We will?"

"That would be a first," said Morgana with a grin. "Come on, Merlin why don't we have a shower together and I can thank you properly for all your help with my photography."

"Ah ... together?"

"Why waste water? We might as well share."

"There is definitely something _very_ wrong with you two," said Arthur pulling a face as Morgana grabbed Merlin's hand and dragged him back into his flat.

xoxOxox

As the door closed Morgana threw her arms around him and his hands quickly found their way to her bare legs and quickly travelled upwards, something he'd been desperate to do since she'd first walked into the living room dressed that way.

"Don't think we're going to make it as far as the shower," she mumbled between kisses. "I'll think I'll just have to have you here." Merlin laughed, moving towards the side drawer impatiently. "Do we have any left?" she asked.

"Just one. I think I'm going to have to buy some shares in that chemist's chain. I think the sales of condoms in central London are likely to rocket now both you_ and _Arthur are in a relationship." He turned back around to find her sitting on his desk, still wearing his shirt as she seductively beckoned him over. As he got closer she impatiently pulled down his pyjama bottoms and wrapped her legs around his hips. Merlin looked at her wide-eyed as she moved even closer and started to open the packet for him.

"Although, I'm not sure we need to worry about any of this from now on," she continued in a surprisingly serious tone, considering their position. "I thought perhaps I'd visit the doctor tomorrow morning, get myself checked over and, if I'm all clear, I'll have my contraception injections updated and then we won't need to bother with this at all. She finished rolling the condom onto him before quickly wriggling herself into position and Merlin gasped as he realised that she meant for him to make love to her right here on his desk. He started to push his hips forward but she held him back with a gentle shake of her head, just at the point of entry. "Patience ..." she said with a gentle laugh.

"You've _got_ to be joking," he gasped.

"So, what do you think?" she continued, still in a serious voice, despite the wicked sparkle in her eyes. "I've no intention of doing this with anyone else and I'm assuming that goes for you too."

"Of course," he replied, a little offended.

"So, that's settled. The next time we do this there will be no need for anything to become between us and, I have to say, I'm really looking forward to that, aren't you?"

"God, yes," he agreed, kissing her very gently, considering their highly intimate position - delighted at both the thought and the implication that they were now a serious, permanent couple.

"Well?" she suddenly demanded in a stern voice.

"Well, what?"

"What are you waiting for? Get on with it," she mumbled, pushing his hips towards her.

"But you just said …" She quickly interrupted him with another gentle laugh and a deep kiss.

xoxOxox

After that they did both managed to get into the shower, although by the time they eventually emerged, Morgana was running late for her lunch appointment with Uther. She had only just left his flat with Arthur, when Merlin noticed that she'd left her Comp behind and quickly exited his flat to catch up with her, only to find Morgana running back down the corridor with an embarrassed grin.

"I bet Arthur was impressed by that," Merlin said, automatically moving in for another kiss as he handed the device back to her.

"Nothing that I can't handle," she replied, throwing her arms around him enthusiastically.

Despite everything they had got up to last night and this morning, it seemed that they still hadn't got it out of their systems; Merlin realising he still desperately wanted her ... again! Perhaps Arthur was right about there being something very wrong with the two of them.

"You're going to have to let me go now, Merlin," she gasped as he pushed her rather aggressively against the wall. "Because, if you don't, I'm going to have to strip you naked, throw you to the floor and ride you right here in the corridor."

"I'd really rather you didn't," said a worryingly familiar voice.

Merlin froze in horror and pulled away from Morgana to see her staring wide-eyed over his shoulder in shock.

"Mrs Wyllt, I-I mean … Ambrosius … I'm sorry, I didn't, ah ..." she stuttered.

"Hello, Morgana," his mother replied calmly, whilst Merlin felt his face flame and wished he was anywhere rather than here. "Although, seeing that you're on such intimate terms with my son, I think it's probably best you call me Hunith, don't you?"

"Ah yes ... ah, Hunith. I'm sorry about what I just said then but, well ..."

"I do understand," she replied, "although, I admit that it's not an image of a son that any mother would want to have in her head."

"Mum!"

"S-sorry, but I am now very late so ..." Morgana gave another embarrassed smile to Hunith and kissed Merlin gently on the cheek before quickly hurried back towards the stairs.

Merlin eyed Hunith nervously as she approached him and winced as she suddenly reached out and grabbed him by a very generous ear.

"Ow, Mum!

"Shame on you, Merlin Wyllt."

"S-sorry but ..."

"Please have the decency to keep that sort of thing within your bedroom in future."

"Ah ...?" he replied a little confused by the qualification - surprised that his mother appeared to be telling him off for the location rather than his actual behaviour.

"Although I am pleased to see that you two have obviously made up. Everything is alright between you now?"

"Wonderful," Merlin sighed before he'd really thought his response through.

"Apparently so," Hunith replied with a raised eyebrow.

"S-sorry," he repeated. "Ah, it's great to see you, Mum but, why are you here?"

"Because you invited me?" He frowned. "Something about the Penthouse?"

"Oh yes, of course, sorry … again."

"Had you mind on other things, did you?" Hunith asked with a sly smile and Merlin had the grace to turn pink.

XoxOxox

"Well?" Merlin asked Gwen later that evening.

"Oh, Merlin … I just can't say how wonderful last night was. I honestly had no idea."

"I do know what you mean," he agreed.

"I just thought it would be a bit quick, embarrassing or painful even – that we'd kiss for a while and then he'd just ... get on with it but ..."

"I would hope not," Merlin interrupted. "I would like to think Arthur would have the ability to give as good as he got."

"Oh, he did ..." Gwen bit her lip, suddenly embarrassed. "I mean ..." She giggled slightly. "He just spent ages kissing and touching and …"

"Look, I know we tell each other most things but still ..."

"Well, he took ages until … I've no idea how long before he actually … and by then, well, I was practically begging him." The look Gwen gave him looked a little ashamed. "God knows what he thought of me at that point."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Morgana was much the same and I … well, I considered it a compliment, actually, so I expect he felt much the same."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I saw the way Arthur was looking at you this morning, Gwen so, I can safely say, that he's just as besotted as you are."

"I think I know that really, it's just … honestly … I never though that someone like Arthur would see me like that."

"No, seriously, I really do know what you mean," Merlin sympathised and they both grinned broadly.

"And you and Morgana apparently still can't keep your hands off each other?" Gwen continued.

"Nope – a bit embarrassing actually," he replied and told Gwen the story of his earlier encounter with Hunith which had her rolling around on the sofa laughing. "It's not that funny," he grumbled.

"Oh, it really is," she giggled. "So you're to be Morgana's business partner now too?"

"Looks like it. When are you next seeing Arthur?"

"Oh, tomorrow. Just as often as possible now, I expect." She grinned broadly. "We've got so much to start arranging for the wedding apart from anything else."

"You two really aren't hanging around are you?"

"No, we thought we'd get married in the Spring - perhaps even St. David's Day."

"Next year?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's all very exciting and I'll look forward to helping. In fact, I think all four of us should get together sometime, don't you? Preferably somewhere public where we can really concentrate on talking rather than … anything else?"

"As far as you two are concerned – certainly," Gwen replied with a grin. "What about your birthday next week? Cardiff as usual? We could invite Arthur and Morgana along and show them the sights?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Arthur really should see the original restaurant now that he's part of the team. Are you sure you don't mind – it's usually our own special little holiday?"

"Why would I mind? Arthur and I are to be married and I get on really well with Morgana so, it makes perfect sense. Anyway, I really want to show him where I grew up." Merlin was thoughtful and Gwen frowned as she was greeted by silence. "Merlin?"

"No, yes … it's a good idea. I was just thinking about booking a table at the restaurant anonymously and check it out from the customer's point of view. A few of the management know me but most of the staff don't."

"That sounds like fun. We can also book a couple of posh rooms in one of the top hotels and it can be a nice romantic break as well as a chance to get to know each other better, talk business and renew a few old contacts," Gwen continued.

"Yes, that's a good idea."

"Then I can help you plan some nice romantic way of proposing to Morgana."

"What?"

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time:<strong> Chapter 14 Discussing: Merlin has a business meetings with both Morgana and Arthur.

_**A/N **A few interesting little titbits for you in this chapter, mostly regarding what will be coming up in the next few chapters (although there is a bit of a red herring here too). If you want more details, check out my profile page for latest news and information about this fic._

_This is out a little later in the evening than usual due to the most stressful Friday EVER (and much of it is Bertie the kitten's fault!) _

_Congratulations to Ai-chiii for being my one hundredth reviewer. She got a reward - a little preview extract from chapter 16._

_Just so the rest of you don't feel left out, I've put a different one on my profile page. Neither are actual spoilers as far as the plot is concerned, but this one is especially dedicated to Bertie - despite all the stress he's put me through during the last couple of days!  
><em>

_4/11/11  
><em>


	14. Planning

**Chapter 14: Planning **

Merlin had a long lay-in on Monday morning, giving him chance to catch up with his missed sleep from the previous night. After eating a lazy brunch he spent some time working on the restaurant decorations in his flat before receiving the message from the front desk that Morgana had arrived.

He hurried down, his heart beating surprisingly fast at the thought of seeing her again, despite it only having been a day since they last kissed. She was dressed casually in jeans, summer shirt and a thin long sleeved shirt with a large, full bag loped over one shoulder. Merlin tried to keep his distance, quite determined to treat her as the business associate that she currently was, but Morgana had other ideas, looping one arm around his as they made their way up the stairs to his small office and moving especially close to him.

"Don't I get a kiss?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him very seductively as they entered the room.

"I would oblige if I thought for a minute that we could stop at that," he retorted and she grinned at him in return.

"Later then?"

"This is a _business_ meeting, Morgana," he said, trying to sound stern but knowing he was failing miserably. She laughed delightedly as she fished out a large folder and her Comp and they then did manage to get serious, discussing the other venues that Morgause had arranged for her to show her photos, Merlin's various financial and advertising contacts, and the bank he recommended for her to set up her business account.

"I'm assuming you'll need to buy more equipment now?" he said then. "Can you get me a list of what you need? Cameras, lights … everything like that?"

"Of course, but I'm wondering if my current studio will be able to cope with this extra demand."

"Of course it won't," Merlin replied confidently, making Morgana look up at him surprised. "You'll need to relocate and I've got a place in mind for that but … we'll come back to that later."

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, what did Uther say yesterday? I mean about your photography and your job?"

"Very little, actually," she replied with a small frown.

"That doesn't sound like Uther."

"No. He mostly talked about Arthur – saying that, although he didn't exactly approve of his choice of wife, he'd give his blessing and then asked a few questions about when they planned to marry - that sort of thing. He asked me if I was sure that he couldn't change my mind about the photography and I said 'no' and that I wished to give notice at Camelot ..." She frowned again.

"What? What is it?"

"I don't know. He was saying all the right things; that he thought I was making a mistake but that I was old enough to know my own mind and that there would always be a job for me at Camelot if things didn't work out but … it seemed a little false, as if he was just acting but … that doesn't make any sense. Uther has never felt the need to disguise or hide his feelings. If he disapproves he just says so and so this seemed strange, out of character somehow." She sighed.

"I expect he's just struggling to process it all at the moment," Merlin suggested. "What else did you discuss?"

"Well, he talked a little with Arthur about Kilgharrah's but, as Arthur truthfully stated, there wasn't much he could say until he'd had his first meeting with Mr. Emrys today." She flashed him a proud grin and he smiled back. "After that it just got down to the usual mundane Camelot business talk and news of family and friends."

"What did Arthur say about Uther's reaction?"

"We didn't get much chance to talk afterwards but he just seemed relieved. I think he'd been steeling himself for a fight and was just pleased when it didn't happen."

"Hmm," Merlin replied thoughtfully.

They started talking a bit more about Morgana's new business, throwing a few names around and heavily leaning towards 'Le Fey Photography' when there was a knock on the door and Hunith came into the room. Merlin saw Morgana turn quite pink – perhaps not surprisingly after their last encounter - but his mother just wanted to let Merlin know she was around for the afternoon if he needed her.

"Are you going upstairs after this?" Hunith asked him, throwing a glance at Morgana.

"Yes. Are you sure you're happy with that?"

"It's yours to do with as you wish as I've said before but, I agree that it is the perfect space."

"Thanks, Mum," he said as she made to leave.

"Ah, Hunith … before you go," Morgana bend down to take a large, thin, paper covered parcel out of her shoulder bag. "I've a present for you."

"For me?" she asked, surprised.

"As an apology for yesterday," she replied with a slight wince.

"There really was no need. I was your age once, after all," she said, taking the gift with a gentle smile. She unwrapped what was clearly a framed photograph and her eyes widened as she saw what it was. "Merlin?" she asked, turning the frame to show him the most popular of the photos Morgana had taken of him that first night and he groaned.

"Everyone does seem especially impressed with that one," Morgana explained, "and so I thought you might appreciate it too."

"Certainly I do. Thank you." Hunith said, "I'm going to put it right opposite my front door so that all my friends can see it when they first come in." Merlin groaned and felt his cheeks flame on seeing her delighted smile.

After a little more business talk, Merlin looked at the time and realised that his meeting with Arthur was only twenty minutes away and so quickly stood to reveal the next part of the business plan to Morgana.

"Come ..." he said, holding a hand out to her and, curious, she put away her folder and Comp, picked the shoulder bag up and took his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Upstairs."

"Don't you have a meeting with my brother soon? Do you really think we'll have the time for that sort of thing?" she asked, giving him a wicked grin.

"I didn't mean _that_ upstairs," he retorted, "I meant the top floor."

"Top floor?" They walked up from the first floor office, up a flight of stairs to the second floor where Merlin's apartment was and from then up yet another flight where he unlocked a fairly ordinary looking door to reveal a large space that had Morgana gasping in surprise.

The old hotel's Penthouse Suite had long been abandoned and had certainly seen better days. Despite that, the large glass fronted aspect over looking the Thames, lit the whole place beautifully and showed it to be a large, open plan apartment, complete with a mezzanine level which had once served as a bedroom area. However, Merlin ignored this space, still holding Morgana's hand, and lead her towards another door which was opened to reveal a smaller room situated on a top corner of the whole building and was glass fronted on two sides. This space was undecorated but seemed in better condition than the main apartment, the door side wall painted a dark colour and the back wall a slightly faded white. Morgana gasped as she instantly saw the potential.

"You don't mean?" She looked over to find him grinning broadly at her. "You _do_ mean? I can use this as my studio?"

"It works, doesn't it? I mean, I did wonder if it might be too bright but I'm sure it would be easy enough to adapt if you thought ..."

That was as far as he got before Morgana threw herself at him, stopping his conversation dead with a passionate kiss. After a muffled complaint, Merlin relaxed and kissed her back briefly, before pushing her gently away with a laugh. "I take it that means you like it?"

"I love it. It's wonderful. Are you sure?"

"Of course. Also - well, I know how this type of conversation makes you nervous but - I thought, if you wanted, we could get the apartment done up too. Only I'm not sure how you feel about moving into the same building with me ... if that might seem a step too far, too fast?"

"I couldn't … Me, live there? But … it's enormous it's …" She looked at him then and her eyes widened further. "Or, do you mean … _us_ moving in there together?"

"I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind," he admitted, dropping his head in embarrassment but … you know, it's just a suggestion and, although it would take next to no time to get the studio ready, getting the Ppenthouse up and running would be a much larger project and … well, I just thought I'd mention it. Something to consider, depending on how our relationship develops."

"No, I understand and … it's certainly very tempting. If fact," she continued with a grin. "Just thinking about my 'office' being here, right over your apartment, makes me think how nice it might be to be able to commute up just one flight of stairs from time to time." She tipped her head and looked at him questioningly.

"Seriously though," he asked. "How much rent are you paying for your flat? Could I offer you one of the smaller rooms here in the meantime? You might want to spend some nights at my place, but I think it's probably best for you to have your own room and it would save you money now you're just starting out."

"But I would pay you rent," she insisted, obviously a little offended.

"Okay, but I could ensure that you pay far less than you do currently, saving you money that you can put back into the business."

"I really don't deserve this," she said coming closer and kissing him gently. "I really don't deserve you."

"Don't be silly," he replied and kissed her back, suddenly wishing he had the time to indulge a little more. "We'd better go back downstairs. I said I'd meet Arthur in the sitting room in a few minutes."

"Oh, alright but, Merlin, I did visit the doctor this morning, as promised."

"Oh?" he asked with a slightly nervous smile.

"Yes and I'm all clear and my injections are all up to date so, if you don't mind, I could hang around to make those lists and phone calls we discussed and then, after your meeting with Arthur we could perhaps …?"

This time it was Merlin's turn to interrupt her with a passionate kiss of his own.

XoxOxox

He and Morgana went downstairs to meet with Gwen and Arthur in their shared sitting room and, for once, it was the engaged couple that were caught in a compromising position, both passionately kissing on the large sofa as they entered. Merlin cleared his throat loudly and Morgana laughed at how quickly the pair flew apart from each other.

"Sorry to interrupt but I believe we have a meeting," said Merlin failing to hide a grin. Arthur just grunted in reply and started to get up.

"Gwen?" Morgana's surprised and unusually high pitched voice made Merlin turn back quickly. "What have you got on your finger?"

"We've just been shopping," Arthur replied calmly, and Merlin's eyes widened as Gwen held her left hand up with a broad grin to reveal a very large, sparkling engagement ring.

"Wow!" he said enthusiastically as both he and Morgana moved to sit down on either side of Gwen in order to fully admire the very large diamond.

"God, Merlin, you are such a girl," Arthur retorted and Merlin grinned broadly in response.

"Well, that makes my presents to you seem quite unexciting," said Morgana but I hope you'll appreciate them, all the same." She then fished out two more flat parcels, the same size and shape as the one she'd given Hunith. "This one first," she continued with a smile. "We should save the best until last."

"Oh, thank you," said Gwen, holding up the photo of Merlin. "I tried to put an offer in for this last night but the price ..." She shook her head in despair.

"Yes, I know, that shocked me too. Now this one."

"Oh!" Gwen gasped, even before she'd unwrapped it. "It this …?" She turned to Arthur with a huge grin and he groaned as she uncovered the photo of him.

"Thanks, Morgana," he grumbled sarcastically.

"Well, I hope you don't mind that I gave her one of Merlin too but, he is her best friend, after all."

"I only objected to the fact she was drooling over it, that's all," Arthur retorted, turning a stare at Gwen that was obviously meant to be stern but the twinkle in his eye was quite obvious.

"Not really an issue now," said Gwen, nodding towards the latest photo. "I'll be putting Merlin's photo in the main room of my flat, but only yours gets to go on my bedroom wall."

"And we all know what she'll be doing when she looks at that at night time, don't we?"

"Morgana!"

"Talking of which," she continued calmly, "I should take one of Gwen for you, Arthur."

"Despite your wicked smile and dirty mind, I shall accept your offer and, perhaps also commission some engagement photos?" her brother responded haughtily.

"Oh, I don't see why we need to make it official ..."

"Now then, Morgana, that's not the way to start off your business," Merlin lectured in a mock serious tone. "Give them a family discount rate, by all means but don't give your talent away for nothing."

"As much as it pains me to say it, Merlin's quite right," Arthur agreed. "I honestly would commission you for the wedding photos too but, I'd really rather have you as a guest."

"Yes, of course."

"Morgana, will you my maid of honour?" Gwen asked.

"Me? I'm flattered but … don't you have a girlfriend that you can offer that role to?"

"Not really, Merlin's my best friend and ..."

Her comment was suddenly interrupted by Arthur's loud laugh. The other three turned to him, surprised at hearing such a sound and Merlin instantly decided that the blond should do that more often.

"What?" Gwen asked.

"You know, Morgana's probably right, Guinevere," Arthur continued, struggling to speak through his laughter. "Seeing that Merlin's your very best friend then perhaps you should put him up in a bridesmaid's dress instead. Don't you think it would suit him?" Gwen and Merlin looked at him aghast whilst Morgana suddenly joined in the laughter.

"You in a dress? That could be fun," she giggled.

"Thank you very much," Merlin grumbled. "I'm so pleased that image amuses you. Come one Arthur, we've got some serious business to discuss." Arthur grinned broadly at Merlin's pout but did place a friendly hand on his shoulder as he walked passed.

xoxOxox

"I'm impressed," said Arthur seriously, as he perused the various documents in front of him. "I don't know … I just thought some of your success might be more due to luck or improvisational skills or something."

"I think you've also fallen prey to the Oxford opinion that Cambridge's focus on the arts somehow makes us less able or less thorough."

"Perhaps. I suppose we just think that the time you spend on arts could be better spent on more work."

"It's all about quality not quantity. All work and no play, as the saying goes. We believe that people that study art learn how to work more efficiently. It's like practising an instrument – you use so much more of your brain when you play, the other stuff is just easy in comparison."

"Easy?"

"Have you any idea how much multi tasking goes into … playing the flute for example?" He grinned as Arthur's eyes widened – obviously thinking about Gwen's particular talent.

"I never learnt an instrument. Some in Oxford do but there, it's really only about sport."

"Sport has much the same skills though: 'The continuous quest for the impossible perfection'." Arthur looked at him surprised at the comment.

"I suppose I hadn't thought of it like that before."

"It's the same with cookery, too – all the arts in fact. You never really get ten out of ten – not like maths. It's never right or wrong - just 'very good but could be better'."

"Interesting. So, what were you saying before about opening a third restaurant?"

"I've been trying to get one up and running in Manchester for a while now but I can't get the planning permission I need. I was hoping that, with all your Oxford contacts, you could perhaps help?"

"Of course but, I don't understand why you'd need me for that."

"Well, not only are they mostly Dark Blues that work for those departments, but it seems I'm being deliberately blocked just because I'm Cambridge."

"I seriously doubt that. Not in this day and age."

"Really? Why? How many Light Blue companies do you do business with?"

"Well, ah …?" Arthur winced as he accepted the comment.

"Exactly. I bet you'd find that there are a number of Cambridge companies that offer services at a much lower price than your Oxford ones, but that your father hasn't contemplated doing business with them or can't even access them because of the old rivalries."

"It can't be _that_ bad."

"I think it is. Look, if you could follow up this planning permission issue with the Manchester restaurant for me, I can ensure that you get some cheaper or more reliable Cambridge contacts to work for you. I admit I'm still a bit wary of being too generous as regards to Uther but, you have your own, smaller business interests, don't you? Separate from your father's?"

"Yes?" Arthur asked suspiciously.

"Good, so look into that and see if I can help you out there. You'll see, the two of us working together – both with our powerful Oxford and Cambridge contacts – will give us such a business advantage over our competitors and, in turn, we should try not to be prejudice against any offers that come our way either … the best of both worlds, so to speak. That's what Tom and my father worked out when we were living in Cardiff and another reason why the first restaurant was such a success."

"Well, I still think you're exaggerating a bit but … of course I'll look into my contacts and try to solve this planning permission problem of yours too."

"Good. By they way, did Gwen mention Cardiff?"

"Yes, something about a two day break as your usual birthday treat?"

"Yes, we've been going there for years now – seeing it was where we initially met and grew up. The one city I spent the most time in, even though we did start moving around a lot more once I started to enter competitions."

"I've never been to Wales," Arthur admitted. "Neither has Morgana, I don't think."

"Really? Well, I hope you're both able to come for a couple of days; for you it can easily be cited as business as I really want you to see the first Kilgharrah's and meet the key staff there. As for Morgana, we'll use it as an opportunity to make some contacts for her, or purchase some equipment."

"A bit of an excuse though – seeing you could buy all of that here in London."

"Ah, but such items cost a lot less in Wales than in England," Merlin replied with a sly smile.

"Oh, I suppose they would."

"I've some contacts there I can renew for her business too but, you're right, it is a bit of an excuse, but then … it is my birthday. I just think it would be nice for the four of us to spend some time together and get to know each other better. I mean, all of this," he waved an arm, "has been rather quick, after all."

"Well yes, I accept that. All my friends are pretty shocked, actually," Arthur admitted.

"So was I. That was … a very quick proposal."

"I know – I surprised myself but, I don't know, it just felt … right somehow."

"I understand," said Merlin, nodding thoughtfully.

"And you're serious about Morgana?" Arthur's voice suddenly turned rather more stern.

"Of course."

"I mean … serious as in _lov_e rather than _lust_?"

"Ah?" He felt his cheeks burn.

"Obviously we were mostly at fault the last time but, this is my sister and I ... Well, I won't see her hurt."

"I know. I won't. I promise."

"I can see that you might want to go a bit slower than us as far as commitment is concerned but … are you thinking perhaps of marriage? You know, in the long term?"

"Ah … I suppose that is what I'm hoping for the future but, you're right, it seems a little too soon at the moment."

"Good, it's just, I know we're long past the days when one marries before sex but .. still, our family is a bit old fashioned in many ways and I'd like to know that Morgana has a secure future with you. Obviously you can provide that financially but, I'd like her to be settled emotionally and, well, she's never found that very easy in the past."

"Yes, I know. We are talking about the future a bit, Arthur. Slowly … and I am serious about her. Honestly."

"Good. Just checking."

"Well, it goes both ways now, doesn't it?" Merlin said with a sudden cheeky grin. "We're both dating the girl that the other holds most dear?" Arthur just grunted slightly in reply.

"True."

"So, Gwen said something about the First of March?"

"Yes, St David's Day seemed to be important to her, being Welsh."

"Isn't that a Friday?"

"No, Saturday."

"Are you sure, it was definitely on a Thursday this year."

"No, look ..." Arthur had been accessing the calendar on his Comp and held it out to show Merlin.

"Oh right, of course. Morgana said that your father seemed quite calm about all of this."

"Yes, it was such a relief, I was sure he was going to be awkward about it."

"You don't think … perhaps he has some scheme up his sleeve?"

"What on earth do you mean, Merlin?"

"Just it seems … if we're shocked about it than it's surprising he's so calm, especially considering his rivalry with Tom."

"Why is that, do you know? Is it just because he's working for you too?" Arthur asked.

"Perhaps, but I think it has a lot to do with those very same Clan wars – I understand all our parents were involved in one way or another."

"Yes, I got that impression," Arthur said with a wince. "I think Uther and Aredian were big players."

"Yes, and Tom was part of their gang and stayed friendly with them, despite his Cambridge marriage but, when he moved to Wales he noticed that the Clans wars were not so marked and he quickly became friends with another mixed couple – my parents – and used their shared contacts to make the first restaurant successful.

"Now Uther's realised that he's been playing both sides all these years, he quickly made sure that all the Oxford doors are closed to Tom," Merlin continued. "He's now been labelled as 'Light Blue' despite his college and family. As I said earlier, he and Balinor made a good team in Cardiff – playing both sides - but that's almost impossible to do nowadays. Uther was Tom's last link to the Dark Blue and that is also why I've been suddenly struggling to work with Oxford companies."

"Ah, now I see why you _really_ wanted me on board," Arthur said in an almost accusing tone and Merlin just gave a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"Yes but, Tom never saw what he was doing as underhand. He just saw it as good business sense. Unfortunately, our parents grew up at a time when those rivalries reached ridiculous levels; their generation is really responsible for the pickle we find ourselves in nowadays."

"But, those Clan Wars were … just a symptom of the times twenty-odd years ago. I agree it was silly and caused all sorts of problems but, it was all sorted, the ring leaders imprisoned and now ..."

"... and now it's all far more peaceful but, we've been left with this 'them and us' mentality and certainly those from that generation do find it very hard to let go. All our parents were at university at the start of the Wars thirty years ago and I expect most of them got roped in – I think it was impossible not to."

"What does this have to do with me and Guinevere?" Arthur asked.

"Just something Tom said recently. That Uther accused him of 'switching sides' even though it wasn't really like that. He though that he was really spying – double crossing - when it was actually Tom that felt that Uther was being dishonest when he attempted the Kilgharrah's takeover." Merlin saw Arthur frown at this. "Sorry, Arthur. I don't intend any disrespect to your father it's just ... the way we've seen it from here and it's also why I find it very strange that he's not grumbling more about you marrying Tom's daughter."

"Well, I wouldn't say he's happy about it."

"No, but Tom married a Cambridge woman and 'allowed' both his children to go to Cambridge, whilst also forming a close friendship with a Light Blue and helping him with his restaurant. Not only that but Morgana's mother also married a Light, as did Hunith and I think ..." he frowned trying to phrase it correctly. "I think those of Uther's generation look down on mixed marriage couples far more than they do couples who are both from the other side."

"Yes," Arthur agreed thoughtfully. "Morgana and I always used to joke about that a bit but, you're right, he does."

"So, both his son and daughter suddenly announce they're in serious relationships with Light Blues and also intend to work for them, and Uther accepts it? Just like that?"

"I understand what you're saying, Merlin, but I think you're over-reacting a little. That was all over twenty years ago and … Uther does love us really, even if he doesn't always show it and he wants us to be happy. Not only that, but he also knows how stubborn we both are and that if he really pushed he'd loose us altogether. No, I'm sure he's shocked and a bit hurt but I, for one, am just grateful that he's taking it so calmly."

Merlin sighed. "Well, for once, I'd say that I hope you're right and I'm wrong." Arthur looked at him with raised eyebrows and the pair exchanged an amused smile.

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Chapter 15: Discussing. <strong>Merlin meets with his board members and prepares for his birthday visit to Cardiff._  
><em>

_**A/N. **__ So, I think it's slowly becoming more obvious where this is going now? Do let me know if you have any questions about this fic in general or wish to speculate on what's coming up._

_Also, please let me know if those of you outside of the UK are keeping up with regard to the geography/history of the various countries within the British Isles (especially England and Wales, in this case) I know it can be a bit confusing at times so feel free to ask questions about that too._

_I struggled to get this chapter out tonight and, I admit, that I'm not quite on top of this fic as I'd like to be at the moment. The problem is that I got so much canon Dark!Mergana on Saturday it's been hard to focus on the made up stuff! A lovely quote from Tumblr on Sunday when someone said that the whole episode was basically fanfiction. That was true … or at least inspiration for it. Got to get my mind on THIS story! As my regular readers know, I'm always out of my comfort zone if I have two fics going at the same time._

_Anyway, depending on how much writing I get done in the next couple of days, there may be a slight delay in the next chapter - but no later than next Tuesday, I promise. There are a few issues with the upcoming chapters that require me to make quite certain that the future plot is secure before I continue writing and, at the moment, there are a few issues. Keep an eye on my profile page for more up-to-date information._


	15. Discussing

**Chapter 15: Discussing**

Merlin arrived back at his flat in a contemplative mood after his meeting and detailed conversation with Arthur. The more he'd talked about the Clan Wars of twenty years ago, the more he'd started to feel uncomfortable and he had a horrible feeling that much of that discomfort was magical. In fact, at one point, he'd seriously worried that he was about to fall into one of his trances and that was definitely not the way he had planned to tell Arthur about his extra gifts.

In fact, Merlin was so distracted by the subject of that afternoon's conversation, that he'd completely forgotten about Morgana's plans and actually jumped with surprise when she quietly called his name as he entered his flat. He turned around to find his girlfriend leaning against the doorway to his bedroom, wearing nothing but a short skirt, a black lacy bra and a very seductive smile.

"Oh, my," he mumbled, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

"So, how did your meeting with Arthur go?" she asked, making no move to approach him.

"Do we really want to be talking about Arthur right now?" he breathed, walking a little closer, his eyes greedily scanning her body.

"Good point," she agreed, still smiling. "What _do_ you want to talk about?"

"Honestly, I can't think of anything at the moment."

"Really? That's unusual," she teased. "You do always seem so keen to talk."

"You're certainly making up for it," Merlin muttered walking closer to her and licking his lips, trying to decide which part of her he wanted to kiss first.

"So, if you don't want to talk, what do you want to … _do_?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I think you know the answer to that," he replied, moving forwards and kissing her passionately on the lips. She threw her arms around him and responded wholeheartedly, although she made no move to undress him as they moved slowly towards his bedroom. He felt surprisingly reluctant to remove her clothes either, deciding she looked far too good wearing the highly sexy combination of short skirt and lacy bra. The kissing became even more passionate; Merlin allowing his hands to gently explore the pale skin of her stomach, back and neck.

"This will be the first time I've ever made love without a condom," she muttered between kisses.

"Hmm, me too," he said, taking his shoes off but still not getting a chance to undress any further.

"Yes," she responded, laughing gently and Merlin worried that Morgana might have somehow worked out that she'd been his first. He had really hoped that she wouldn't have guessed and had been fairly confident that their first time together had been good enough to imply he had experience. However, he definitely didn't want to be getting into that conversation at this particular moment and so he continued to caress her as he lay her down on his bed, hungrily kissing her neck whilst she gasped at the powerful sensations that started to course through her.

"Is that ..? Are you using your magic?" she gasped.

"Yes," he admitted, pushing a little more at her. "Do you like it?" The resulting cry of passion answered his question for him. "Again?" he asked.

"Yes ..." she breathed and he sat up still fully dressed and, deliberately not touching her, pushed even more magic than usual towards her, focusing it very specifically at her various erogenous zones. The way Morgana's eyes widened and sounds she gave then seemed surprisingly familiar and he looked at her curiously, even as he shook his head against the dizziness the strong use of magic had caused.

"Did you just … did I just make you …?" he asked, stunned at the thought of having made her climax when he wasn't even touching her.

She groaned in response to his question, her cheeks flushed and her breathing heavy, before suddenly pouncing on him - pinning him onto his back whilst her hands frantically undid his trousers and pushed them and his underpants down as far as his thighs. Laughing at her impatience, Merlin had just starting to sit up so that he could undress properly when Morgana pressed his shoulders back onto the bed, straddled him and dropped straight down onto him with absolutely no warning at all. This time it was Merlin's turn to cry out, both at her sudden aggressiveness and the extra sensations he was feeling now he wasn't wearing a condom. He climaxed almost as quickly as she had and they both collapsed in an exhausted heap, their heavy breathing quickly turning into giggles.

"Wow, that was … different," he managed at last.

"Yes," she agreed. "Shall we get undressed now?"

xoxOxox

Arthur attended the final board meeting before their scheduled trip to Cardiff along with Tom, Gwaine, Gaius and Hunith and, as Merlin had hoped, his new partner was able to offer quite a bit in the way of advice. More importantly, he was also able to promise some young Oxford contacts of his that had no problem dealing with a Light Blue company when they knew Arthur was a part of it.

"And the Manchester planning permission problems?" Gaius asked.

"Solved, I think," Arthur responded. "You know what these departments are like? They take ages just to put an old fashioned stamp on a piece of paper but … I believe that it's as good as done. It is a prime piece of property, of course and, having heard Merlin's explanation of the problems, I suppose I can see why they were reluctant to let it go – most of the surrounding restaurants and businesses are Dark Blue so it seems the rivalry is just as bad as you thought."

"What I've never been able to understand is why there are so many Dark Blue restaurants, anyway?" Hunith asked. "I mean, seeing catering is not something that would be encouraged at a place like Oxford."

"Oh, Oxford businesses control lots of art based establishments," Arthur stated. "People like my father are happy to support the arts. After all they do want to go to galleries and museums, operas and orchestral concerts and eat at fancy restaurants. They want to enjoy these things and earn profits from them, it's just ..."

"They'd rather employ others to do the work for them – usually non-Blues," Merlin finished.

"Which also perhaps explains why Camelot is not as successful as Kilgharrah's," Arthur said with a shrug. "The educated that work there have little idea of catering and those that do are either less qualified or less able to give their suggestions or, perhaps more likely ..."

"... are not even asked for their suggestions in the first place," Merlin finished and Gwaine laughed.

"What?" asked Arthur.

"You two. Completing each other's sentences like an old married couple."

"Gwaine – behave!"

"Sorry but, it's good to see really. I admit that I wasn't convinced about letting Arthur in on this at first but now … I can see you're right."

This time it was Merlin's turn to grin. "Aren't I always?" On one side of him, Hunith hit him lightly on the arm whilst, on his other, Gaius gave him a rather less gentle clip around the ear. "Ouch!"

"So, hopefully, once we get back, these permissions will have been confirmed and we can make a trip up to Manchester?" Arthur asked, smiling at the pout on Merlin's face as he rubbed his sore ear.

"Yes, we'll need to start advertising for a manager. I always find it especially hard to find someone that's right for such an important role."

"I can imagine. Who do you have at Cardiff?"

"Iseldir? We'll be meeting him on Wednesday when I show you around Kilgharrah's properly," Merlin replied.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Arthur. "Well, the trip in general. It will be good to have a little break from the normal routine."

"It's always one of the highlights of our year," Merlin agreed.

"May I ask how Uther is with all of this, Arthur?" Tom asked. "Only I'm curious as to how this whole set up with you and Merlin is going to work and how much you've decided to tell your father?"

"I'm trying hard to avoid the whole 'Mr. Emrys' thing altogether at the moment. In fact, I'm pretending to be a little possessive of the entire set-up - implying that I'm worried that he might change his mind and take the shares back. I mean, I know he won't - that actually, he can't - but, by acting that way I am also giving a good excuse for not talking about the business with him. Why, you're not still getting hassled by him, are you?"

"No, and that's what's worrying me, to be honest," Gwen's father replied quietly. "Uther's suddenly gone very quiet and it's making me ... very nervous."

"Me too," Gwaine muttered.

"So Merlin said but, I really don't think you've anything to worry about anymore. Before he considered you a rival company to be taken over but, now that I'm part of the team, Kilgharrah's is on 'his side' as Merlin likes to say, so I don't think he's worried about shares or on blaming anyone for what happened last month." Arthur frowned as he noticed the sceptical glances exchanged by the rest of the table and Merlin shook his head sadly, frustrated at how unaware his new friend was of Uther's true nature.

"Perhaps," Tom continued, "but you aren't old enough to remember what it was like twenty years ago. Back then, the last thing you had to worry about was some blocked paper work. Back then, if you crossed one of the more ruthless business men, it was quite possible to pay for it with your life."

"As my father found out to his cost," Gwaine muttered, all hints of his usual humour gone.

xoxOxox

Later, Merlin managed to catch up with Gwen and, after spending more time admiring her beautiful engagement ring, the two friends continued to talk a little about their respective, now very healthy, love lives as well as their plans for the near future.

"I've managed to book a table at Cardiff Kilgharrah's for next week," Gwen told Merlin a bit later in the conversation.

"Oh, that's great, thank you."

"And I also managed to get us a couple of adjoining rooms at the Hilton."

"Oh good, I would much rather stay in the city centre than at the Bay," he responded.

"That's what I thought. By the way, have you given some more thought about proposing to Morgana?"

"What? No." Merlin shook his head. "I don't think it's time yet, Gwen."

"Oh, why not?" she said with a slight sulk in her voice.

"Well, for one thing, not all of us feel the need to propose within the first month ..." Gwen stuck her tongue out at him, "and, for another, I don't think either of us are really ready to take such a big step quite yet. This is not just me saying this; I'm Morgana's first steady boyfriend and I think that's scaring her just as much as the speed our relationship progressed scared me."

"But, I was talking to her earlier when you and Arthur were at that meeting and ... well, she's completely besotted by you. She admitted as much."

"R-really?" Merlin stuttered, delighted by the news.

"Not that I should really be telling you that," Gwen continued and Merlin grinned slightly, despite himself.

"Well, thank you and ... I suppose I do know how she feels about me really, and ... I'm not saying never but ..."

"So, you do want to marry her?"

"Yes. I do think it is a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' but I honestly do think it's too early to be planning something like that quite yet."

"You're sure?"

"Quite certain, yes. Let's just focus on _your_ wedding shall we?"

"Fine, I'll accept that it might be a little too soon for you," Gwen said seriously and Merlin started to relax. Then she suddenly grinned. "I know, how about you buy her an engagement ring as a Christmas present?"

"Gwen!"

"Or you could wait until Valentine's Day. We could plan something really dramatic and romantic. Something that she'd remember forever - something that you could brag about to your children. What do you think?"

"Gwen, we are _not_ having this conversation," Merlin interrupted with an exasperated sigh and just a hint of a smile. "Morgana and I are just fine as we are. I'll propose … when it feels right and not a day before."

"Are you sure she feels the same way?"

"Yes," he replied instantly, but Gwen gave him a sceptical look. "We have talked about it a bit but … as I said, we're both far more interested in helping you with your wedding, alright?"

"Okay."

"Talking of which. I've got a great caterer in mind that I want to recommend to you."

"Oh ... I see. Well, I did think of having Kilgharrah's do it but ..."

"... there won't be anyone there, Gwen. I'll be giving everyone the day off," Merlin said with a laugh.

"Really?"

"Yes, just like all the best royal weddings."

"Now you're just being silly."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Chapter 16 Socialising:<strong> Merlin takes Gwen, Arthur and Morgana to Cardiff to celebrate his twenty-fifth birthday.

_**A/N **So, the Merlin proposal at Cardiff was the 'red herring' I mentioned in the previous chapter. What do you think about that? Any thoughts/suggestions for our young 'saucerer'? Actually, I do have a plan, have already given one very subtle clue about it, and will be dropping a few more very soon. (Although, I think that one's even harder to work out than 'Jennifer'!)  
><em>

_Sorry for another short chapter - just the way it worked out, I'm afraid. Next one's quite a bit longer and if you could send me some good writing vibes - I will try to get it out on Friday this week. I don't know why I'm suddenly struggling to stay on top of this fic all of a sudden. I think perhaps I've been writing just a little less than two chapters worth a week for a while now and it's only __just dawned on me how behind I actually am. I also got very little done at all recently and so I'm now working really hard to find some extra time to write. Yesterday was good though so ... fingers crossed.  
><em>

_Keep checking my profile page for up to date publishing dates and upcoming chapter information and teasers. Have made a few more recent adjustments with a hint at where the end might be!_

_15/11/11  
><em>


	16. Socialising

**Chapter 16: Socialising**

The four took the train to Cardiff, sitting on either side of a table, couples together - boys opposite girls. Their conversation included Arthur and Merlin talking about Manchester, all of them discussing Kilgharrah's in general, Morgana excitedly sharing the news of her business and how she was hoping the new studio would be ready by the time they got back, and Gwen and Arthur talking about their wedding.

"It's booked already," Gwen announced, "The First of March as we'd hoped."

"How big is it going to be?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, not as huge as some nowadays, and it's not as if either of us have very large families anyway, but we have booked this beautiful medieval hall for the day."

"Of course, it's still pretty short notice as far as most weddings go," said Arthur. "But, I guess we're lucky that we've the money and the contacts to have various people do much of the planning for us."

"Did my catering contact get back to you?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, thank you," said Gwen. "In fact, the very first thing he asked was if the famous Merlin was going to be a guest." Merlin raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"What did he say when you said yes?" Morgana asked.

"Nothing at first but he did go very pale," Gwen replied with a grin.

"Honestly, as if I'd have recommended him if I didn't think he was up to it," Merlin complained.

"At least he did agree," said Arthur, "but I admit that it does feels strange to be arranging for caterers and a photographer when I've got you guys right here."

"Well, just like Morgana, I'd rather be a guest," Merlin stated.

"But not a bridesmaid?"

"Prat."

"Idiot."

"Children, behave," Morgana said with a laugh. "Has Leon agreed to be your best man, Arthur?"

"Eventually. He kept trying to suggest other friends instead, but I kept nagging until he gave in."

"He didn't want to give the speech?" Merlin guessed.

"Yes, what a coward," said Arthur with a smile that conveyed affection rather than annoyance. "He's over one-ninety meters, looks like a lion but acts like a kitten."

"Clearly you've never owned a kitten," Merlin retorted.

"Still, I'm pleased he did agree," Arthur continued, "Otherwise I was debating asking you."

"Remind me to thank Leon when I meet him," Merlin replied with a grin.

xoxOxox

They arrived at the station and, still in high spirits, took a taxi to the Hilton Cardiff in the centre of the city.

"So, where is this original Kilgharrah's situated?" Arthur asked. "So far it seems that you like fairly dramatic locations for your restaurants."

"In Cardiff Bay," Merlin replied with a grin, "and yes, it is, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise by telling you any more."

"We're eating there tonight?" Morgana asked.

"Yes. Tomorrow we'll have to slum it by eating in this five star hotel." The others laughed as they pulled up outside and were given the full V.I.P treatment as they checked in.

They had booked adjoining suites and, once there, Merlin and the girls ran excitedly between the two rooms, checking out the bathrooms and bouncing on the beds. Arthur just watched, raising his eyes to the ceiling at their antics, although it was obvious he was trying hard not to smile.

Once on their own, Morgana worked hard to convince Merlin that they should quickly try out the shower which was easily big enough for two but, as it was still early afternoon and Merlin wanted to start showing the English siblings what the Welsh capital had to offer, he persuaded her to postpone the offer until later.

"Fine," she said with her usual wicked smile, "but you do know there'll be 'interest' to pay, don't you?"

xoxOxox

They spent a couple of hours exploring Cardiff Castle, with Arthur claiming that the Pendragons were descended from royalty and making a few other teasing comments about his companions' less impressive pedigrees.

"Which means you need to grow a beard and become my court sorcerer," he informed Merlin. "Although you're a bit young for that role, really. I think court jester would be more appropriate, don't you?" Arthur grinned and, although Merlin glared at him initially, an interesting idea started to occur to him and the grimace quickly turned into a smile.

"Arthur?" he asked quietly, trying to catch the girls' attention.

"Yes?" the blond replied, still grinning.

"Come here ..." Merlin winked at Gwen and Morgana and saw their eyes widen as they realised that he was up to something.

"What?" Arthur asked suspiciously.

"This is _very_ important," he said, so quietly that Arthur had to lean forward to hear. Merlin pushed gently with his magic as he quietly whispered an instruction. Arthur nodded firmly, his eyes now rather unfocused, and then started to walk slowly to the centre of the large Green within the castle grounds.

"Merlin, what did you just do to him?" Gwen hissed. Merlin just grinned broadly at her in return.

"Citizens of Cardiff," the blond shouted in a voice the carried across the whole open space, attracting most of the visitors' attention. "Behold, I am King Arthur. Peasants ... kneel before your Monarch!"

The announcement was greeted by a few laughs and several open mouths. Mostly people just shook their heads before carrying on with what they were doing, their eyes raised to the sky at the show.

"Bloody English," one man muttered as he walked past Merlin and the girls, causing the three to fall about with uncontrollable laughter. After a few minutes a very confused looking Arthur came back over to them, shaking his head.

"W-what just happened there?" he asked.

"No idea," said Merlin innocently. "I think perhaps you were possessed by your ancestor, King Arthur."

"Don't be stupid, Merlin."

"Look, I think they're about to close," Gwen replied with a look at Merlin which was half way between amusement and despair. "Perhaps we should go back to the hotel and get ready for the evening?"

xoxOxox

Later they took another taxi to the old docklands area. Like most major British cities, this area had once been the life blood of Cardiff; boats coming in and out and transporting goods around the Empire. It had also been one of the poorest, run-down areas until the late nineteen eighties when it's old industrial buildings were slowly replaced by modern apartments, hotels and restaurants and a new leisure industry sprung up to replace the old working one.

"So, where's Kilgharrah's?" Morgana asked as they strolled arm in arm along the busy waterfront on a beautiful warm evening, watching the pleasure boats bob on the tide and the seagulls swoop and call. They passed an impressive old red bricked building from the early dockland days, the imposing Millennium centre and other more modern buildings and numerous cafés. The siblings scanned the waterside eagerly whilst Merlin and Gwen exchanged knowing smiles as they moved closer to the dockside and past some larger boats that were moored there.

Morgana gasped as she turned her gaze towards the water and noticed the large boat tied up a little further along the quay, decorated with fairy lights and with elegant canopies covering its outer decks. As they got closer the familiar dragon theme became obvious, decorating the boat and the canopies, including the one on the dock which was acting as an entrance way to the gang plank.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me?" Arthur gasped and Merlin grinned at his response, deliberately falling behind and lowering his head, just in case he was recognised by any of the restaurant staff. Meanwhile, Gwen walked forward with a big smile.

"Table for four, please."

"Do you have a reservation?" the young lady asked politely and Merlin nodded his approval at her response. Just because this was a high class restaurant didn't mean he wanted any of his employees to act in a snobbish manner.

"Yes, Cornwall," Gwen said exchanging a sly grin with Arthur who, along with Morgana, quite audibly choked at the name she'd chosen to book them in under.

"Please follow me," the girl requested with a lovely smile and started up the gang plank, watching carefully to ensure her customers were confident about the ascent, despite it being considerably more secure than those on an average boat and directed them to a table high up in the open area of the top deck, just as Gwen had requested.

Merlin knew he'd not met this girl and that many of the staff here would be students from the local Light Blue college, but he continued to slouch and keep his head down, just in case the more established staff noticed they had their founder's son as a guest. Not that any here but Iseldir knew of Merlin's _real_ role within the company but, still, he really wanted to see how this restaurant treated a group of 'normal' customers, and that couldn't happen if his true identidy was known.

During the Clan Wars the large Cardiff University had stopped offering the arts and called itself Dark Blue, whilst the College of Music and Drama had expanded to fill the gap and began to offer all the arts alongside the obligatory English, Maths and business studies. This pattern had been copied throughout much of the United Kingdom, although Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland had been amongst the last to adopt this new system. Despite Merlin's determination not to be prejudice, he knew that most to the staff here tonight were probably from that same Light Blue college.

"Not bad," said Arthur, looking around. "And, I have to say that I'm impressed with that Maître d'. She's far less cheeky than the one that served us in London." He gave Merlin an exaggerated, crooked smile.

"What? What did I do?" he asked, turning towards Morgana.

"He does have a point," she responded. "Not that you'll find me complaining though – you certainly got _my_ attention."

"There is still an element of smugness around the place though," Arthur continued. "Although, if the food here is as good as it was in London then I suppose their confidence is justified."

"I would certainly hope so," Merlin grumbled.

"Have you been to Kilgharrah's before?" Their waitress asked as their starters were presented and gained nothing more than a slight widening of eyes from the siblings and a fairly critical stare from Merlin.

"Yes, in London," Morgana beamed. "We were so impressed that we were quite determined to eat at the original when we knew we were to visit."

"It is a great success, I hear," the girl said. "We are very pleased that our Welsh company is so appreciated in England." She moved away with a nod of the head which was almost a bow.

"No, _definitely_ more modest than the London bunch," Arthur mumbled as he tucked into his mushrooms. "Oh ..."

"Yes," Morgana responded simply, obviously remembering the impression the same starter had made on her the last time.

"Do you mind if I have a little taste of yours, guys?" Merlin asked, holding up a fork. "You can pinch some of mine back, if you like, but I would be interested to see if it's all living up to expectations."

"This is your birthday, Merlin," said Arthur. "You're supposed to be on holiday."

"Not until tomorrow, it isn't," said Merlin. "And don't any of you get any clever ideas tonight - neither my name nor appearance is entirely unfamiliar here, after all."

"Okay," Morgana agreed. "We'll find a more appropriate time and location to embarrass you about being a quarter of a century old."

"Thanks," he grumbled sarcastically.

Merlin sneaked a sample of everyone's dish that evening and was happy enough with the quality - even though he constantly battled with his inner need for perfection, quite aware that it could be even better if he had more direct control here. He made a few mental notes to pass onto Iseldir tomorrow but, overall, he was satisfied with the food and the service that he and his friends received. However, his companions were all highly impressed and admitted they would have had a hard job to say which they'd thought was better, which was good to know. He was fairly confident they were being honest too, their reactions to each mouthful exactly what he expected and hoped to see from his diners.

"I'd really recommend the 'chocolate dragon,'" he whispered to Morgana as they all studied the desert menu later on that evening.

Her eyes widened. "Do you think that wise?"

"Consider it the 'interest' you reckon I owe you," he replied calmly and she gave him a wicked smile in reply.

"Are you two at it again?" Arthur complained.

"Not yet," Morgana replied without a pause. "Give it time." Arthur raised his eyes to the ceiling whilst Gwen gave her usual giggle at the brunette's response.

xoxOxox

"You've certainly got them well trained here," Arthur approved as the deserts arrived, each exquisitely decorated as usual. "Seeing that you're the one doing most of the food 'art' in London."

"All my Chefs undergo intense training courses of a regular basis which I usually host," Merlin explained, "but, I have to say, the head Chef here is just as talented as me as far as this sort of thing is concerned."

"And for Manchester?"

"Yes, that won't be easy. I expect I'll offer the role to one of the chefs here or in London first but, it's always a challenge to find the right staff for Kilgharrah's." He suddenly grabbed Morgana's desert and pulled it closer, picking up the flame covered bowl and turning it around to inspect the chocolate dragon mould and the other amazing decorations, both inside and out - most of them edible.

"Hey!" Morgana complained.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

"Nothing. This is good – _very _good. Look ..." He indicated the intricate sugar designs on the inside and outside of the chocolate dragon. "Doesn't look like Aglain's style somehow. I wonder who did this."

"Well, I'm sure you can find out later," Morgana complained. "Can I just eat it now?"

Merlin grinned and returned it to her place mat. He watched her taste the first spoonful but, as usual with Morgana and deserts, found it best to try and focus on his own food whilst they were in a public place. It seemed that she was enjoying the 'dragon' just as much as he'd hoped. Something he planned to take full advantage of later on tonight.

xoxOxox

Once the bill had been paid, Merlin asked to see the manager, with a sly grin at his companions.

"I thought you wanted to remain anonymous?" Arthur asked.

"Doesn't really matter now, does it? Anyway, I want to find out who that chef is ... they might not remember things like that tomorrow."

The man that came to greet them had grey hair, but only seemed middle aged despite that. When he realised who had called for him he looked rather shocked but his expression quickly turned more open.

"Merlin, what a lovely surprise. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Hello, Iseldir. No, sorry about that but I decided to be a bit sneaky and bring my friends to eat here."

"Ah … I hope everything lived up to expectations?"

"Yes, thank you but, I have to ask, who was responsible for our deserts tonight? I was most impressed with the 'chocolate dragon'."

"Ah, that would be Percival."

"Sounds a little familiar, but I'm struggling to put a face to the name."

"You'll remember him when you see him, I'm sure," said Iseldir with a sudden laugh. "The most unlikely chef you'll ever see ... but such talent."

"Oh, he's that really big guy?"

"Yes, almost two meters tall, build like a barn and yet can create delicate dishes that would give even _you_ a run for your money."

"Yes, I remember him from the last course I ran. Put quite a few other hopeful chefs' noses out of joint, I can tell you. Can I meet him tomorrow?"

"Of course. I suppose you're planning to take him away from us?" the manager asked with an over exaggerated sigh.

"Perhaps, I'll have to talk to him first. Oh, this is my new partner Arthur Pendragon, by the way. We'll get down to serious business tomorrow but I thought, whilst we're here ..?" Iseldir moved towards the other three to shake Arthur's hand and Morgana was also introduced – Gwen already familiar to the man from their previous visits.

After a purely social chat and a few more drinks, the group caught a taxi back to the hotel and spent a little longer talking in the bar before returning to their respective rooms.

xoxOxox

Morgana got her wish for another joint shower when they got back to the hotel room and, as usual when the pair were in the same bedroom, they took a while to get around to falling asleep. Despite this, Merlin found himself quickly awake as he sensed Morgana tossing and turning next to him. On hearing a mumble of 'Arthur' and 'trust,' he quickly sat up, moved a little closer and gathered his magic as he focused his mind towards her and concentrated.

She continued to mumble many of the same words and phrases as usual but, no matter how hard he tried to focus his magic, Merlin could not sense or read anything of her dreams himself. He continued to listen to what she was saying, wondering whether or not to wake her, when she took matters into her own hands, sitting suddenly upright with a loud cry.

"No!"

"What? What happened?" he asked.

"He stabbed him."

"Who did?"

"I ..." Morgana blinked looking around in confusion. "Merlin?"

"You said, 'He stabbed him.' Who?" he pushed.

"I don't know. I can't remember anything." Her voice was practically a wail. "I'm sorry. What good is all of this if I can't remember it? I always used to be able to."

"Don't worry. I couldn't read or see what you were seeing either. Let's approach this from a different angle - now, whilst it's still fresh in your subconscious. Here ..." Merlin handed her a tee shirt with a grin. "I'm not going to be able to focus otherwise."

"Fine," she replied with a sly grin, "but that goes both ways. You'd better cover up too."

They moved to the small social area of their hotel room and Merlin had Morgana sit on one of the comfy chairs whilst he sat opposite, holding her hands and staring deeply into her incredible green eyes.

"I'm going to do much the same with you as I did to Arthur earlier." Morgana grinned and opened her mouth to ask some question about that trick, but he stopped her by holding a hand up. "Just a little suggestion ... nothing you don't want to do. If I'd asked Arthur to jump off the castle wall he wouldn't have done it - he couldn't have. This is just hypnosis and I admit that I'm not really trained in it, I'm just using my magic to cheat a bit, that's all."

"Okay, what do I do?"

"Nothing, just relax. I just want you to sleep again but, this time, you'll be able to hear me too. Ready?"

"Yes, but ..."

"Three, two, one - sleep ..." He grinned as her complaint was silenced mid-word and she quickly closed her eyes.

"Morgana?"

"Yes?" Her voice sounded a little dreamy, but otherwise fairly normal.

"I want you to focus on Jennifer. Think back to your dream and try to picture her and describe her to me." Morgana frowned and after several long seconds shook her head. "What? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her."

"Think really hard about Jennifer. Do you have any image at all?"

"Yes, three men." She frowned. "No ... there's another one there ... four in total."

"How is Jennifer connected to them?"

"He mentioned her."

"Who did?"

"Fairly young, early thirties, dark hair ..." She frowned. "I don't like his smile."

"The other men?"

"Dark."

"Dark?" he pushed.

"It's night time ... hard to see, but the one who's being attacked ... he's familiar, I think."

"Really concentrate on the victim." She shook her head again. "Okay, so what's the attacker saying about Jennifer?" There was another long pause.

"He pulls out a knife, jabs it towards the victim and says, 'This is for Jennifer'," she quoted, before suddenly opening her eyes, pulling herself out of her trance with a gasp.

"Gana?" Merlin asked gently.

"The long haired man had an accomplice and they attacked the familiar man with a knife - planning to kill him because of something to do with Jennifer, but then another man came forward and intervened. I couldn't see him very well either but he also had long dark hair." She blinked several times before looking up at Merlin properly. "Well, it's more than we had before, isn't it?"

"True, but I still have no idea what any of it means."

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 17: Remembering. <strong>It's Merlin's birthday and the quartet talk about loosing their parents.

_**A/N **__Long today – sorry – but there's a lot to say here._

_1) Clue: Three of the four men from Morgana's dream are all characters from 'Merlin', and have been mentioned in this fic already. _

_2) It seems most of you agree with Merlin that it's a little too soon for an official proposal from him. However, if you look at my PP you'll see that there will be a little time jump soon. That's all I'm saying for now ;)_

_3) A recent review of Kilgharrah's reminded me that I didn't mention where I got the name 'Cornwall' from. Did any of you get it? Gorlois is listed as the Duke of Cornwall in legend- so I used that. I also got Merlin's various family names, Gwaine's surname and his pub's name from legend too – I do keep trying to tie everything in if I can. _

_4) The idea of having Percival as a chef was inspired by my recent watching of Celebrity MasterChef where the gentle giant of a rugby player, Phil Vickery, won the competition, amazing everyone with his exceptionally delicate presentation._

5) "Yes, over one-ninety meters, looks like a lion, acts like a kitten."

"Clearly you've never owned a kitten," Merlin retorted.

_That bit is specially dedicated to my kitten, Bertie. He's such a handful now and I'm covered in scratches!_

_6) I didn't go to Oxford or Cambridge, as was asked during K's, but I did go to college in Cardiff - so I felt I could talk about the city with a certain amount of confidence!  
><em>

_18/11/11  
><em>


	17. Remembering

**Chapter 17: Remembering**

Merlin awoke to the quite beeping of his Comp alarm and, having quietened it, groggily reached a hand out towards Morgana to find her side of the bed empty. He sat up and looked around the hotel room but couldn't see her anywhere, the door to the bathroom quite obviously open and empty. A little confused, he got up to use that same room, and then dressed before wandering out of their suite and knocking on the door to Gwen and Arthur's room.

"Come in!" His best friend's very loud, confident voice rang out and Merlin opened to door to be confronted by Arthur, Morgana and Gwen, all standing surprisingly close.

"Happy Birthday!" They shouted and, before he had a chance to register anything, Arthur took hold of him underneath his arm pits, the girls grabbed a long leg each, and all three proceeded to give him 'the bumps'.

"Hey, steady on ..." Merlin complained as he was flung into the air. "What do you think I am ... ten?"

"No," Arthur said gleefully. "You're twenty-five and you're getting every single one of these. Actually, let's go a bit higher, shall we? He really is ridiculously light." The girls laughed gleefully as Merlin continued to complain as he was thrown up in the air on each count and violently bumped onto the floor in-between.

"And one for luck!" Gwen reminded them as Merlin was practically dropped on the floor after number twenty six.

"I _was_ half asleep, you know," he grumbled.

"I bet you're not now." Arthur retorted gleefully.

"Aw, we're very sorry," said Gwen. "Let me make it up to you." She stood on tiptoes and lightly kissed him on the cheek, causing him to suddenly grin in response. "Your turn, Morgana," she suggested, pushing him towards his girlfriend.

"Happy Birthday, Merlin," she crowed, before throwing her arms around him and giving him a very passionate kiss on the lips. He found himself being pushed on again. "Arthur?" Morgana teased.

"What? No. I'm not kissing him."

"Spoilsport."

"Yuck! I'd rather have more bumps," Merlin muttered.

"Really?" Arthur asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"No. Actually, I take that back. I'd much rather have breakfast."

"Yes, me too, but not before you've opened your cards and presents," Morgana stated.

"Really?" Merlin asked, as Gwen came forward with her arms full of bags and parcels. "Thanks guys."

xoxOxox

The four friends entered the hotel's breakfast lounge to find a large buffet of light food and fruit juice laid out on tables at the side of the room along with the offer of a full, cooked breakfast too. Once they had chosen a table and ordered, the four resumed the general conversation that they had participated in on the train and at the restaurant yesterday, only this time the subject quickly turned to their parents or, more particularly, the parents they didn't have.

"Well, my mum died through complications after my birth," said Arthur. "Unusual for this day and age but, well, it still does happen, unfortunately." He shrugged.

"Yes, and I lost both my parents in a car accident," said Morgana.

"How horrible," said Gwen. "How old were you?"

"Ten."

"I'm sorry," Merlin sympathised. "I lost a good friend of mine that way too, so I know how that feels."

"Oh, what happened?"

"Hit and run."

"That's awful," she sympathised. "I lost mine during a general motorway pile-up in poor weather conditions. In the end they found it that one of the lorries had a tyre blow-out so it was no-one's fault - nothing to be done, really." This time it was her turn to shrug. "And you lost your mother young too?" she asked, turning to Gwen.

"When I was just five, yes. Cancer. It was left undiscovered too long for the cure to work."

"I remember her a bit, of course," said Merlin with a fond smile. "I used to call her Mrs. Leo because I couldn't pronounce your surname. I remember that she used to let me beat her cake mixtures when she got too ill to do it herself. Always said how well they turned out when I helped, but I think that was less about my talent and more about her being kind."

"Perhaps, but I'm sure she recognised your abilities, even back then," said Gwen with a smile at Merlin for his fond memories of her beloved mother. "I'm to visit her grave later, by the way," she continued quietly whilst focusing on her plate. "I usually do when I visit Cardiff."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Arthur asked gently.

"Only if you want to. I'm happy enough to go on my own."

"Nonsense, of course I'll come. When's our meeting with Iseldir, Merlin?"

"Two-thirty, so you can spend the morning with Gwen whilst Morgana and I check out a few places then, this afternoon, we can swap." He grinned and the others nodded their agreement.

"That sounds like fun," said Morgana. "I'm sure us girls can find plenty of fun things to do when we've not got you boys around."

"And so many things we can _talk_ about," Gwen replied with a wicked smile at Merlin who groaned.

"Although that goes both ways, of course," Arthur retorted with a grin of his own. "I have so many interesting stories about what Morgana got up to when she was little, and I'm quite sure Merlin has several about Guinevere too." This time it was the girls' turn to look worried.

xoxOxox

After breakfast, the four all went up to their rooms for a while, before heading out as couples for the morning. Merlin and Morgana started by shopping for photography equipment for her new business and finished by visiting the city's main art gallery. After a light lunch in the café there, the pair headed back to the hotel to meet up with Arthur and Gwen before setting out again, this time with a different partner - girls and boys in pairs.

Merlin and Arthur watched nervously as their girlfriends left them arm in arm and giggling like a couple of teenagers, before they headed back to Cardiff Bay for their meeting with the manager of the original Kilgharrah's.

"Another old Light Blue associate of my father's," Merlin explained to Arthur as they arrived at the boat. "Iseldir studied here in Cardiff although, as I said before, all the major city colleges were split even back then and, despite the fact there's less violence and gang stuff going on nowadays, the divide itself is actually getting wider in many ways."

Arthur just shrugged, perhaps his way of acknowledging that he'd underestimated the severity of the problem, or perhaps because he still did not fully accept the observation.

They were promptly and politely greeted by Iseldir when they arrived, and also briefly met with Percival before he left for home after his lunch shift. Merlin had remembered that the man was tall, but had forgotten quite how imposing he was when he appeared unexpectedly in front of him. Being so tall himself, it was rare for him to be required to look up at anyone and he always found such encounters daunting, especially considering the fact that the sheer amount of muscle on the man dwarfed him sideways as well as height wise. It was especially strange seeing Arthur, someone Merlin had always felt was well built, also apparently appearing small next to the talented chef.

At first it seemed Percival hadn't recognised Merlin but, as he was introduced, his eyes suddenly widened and the big man looked uncharacteristically nervous.

"Well, I remember you from the course you ran that time but, I have to say, that it's a real honour to meet you properly now. I learnt so much on that particular day, but then you were my hero long before that. I grew up watching you on television when I was a teenager and wishing I could cook half as well." Merlin shuffled awkwardly whilst Arthur huffed a laugh at the pair's interaction.

"This is Arthur Pendragon," said Merlin, his tone rather sulky. "He and I are both taking on rather more responsibility within the company nowadays ... helping to build it up and expand it." Arthur shot Merlin a surprised look for his comment but he just shrugged in response. Many people within the two restaurants knew him as the founder's son but, very few knew that he was the outright owner and that was a secret that he was still very keen to keep.

"And I thought Leon was tall," the blond commented as he shook his hands with Percival. "It's good to meet you. Desert last night was wonderful."

"Thank you, Mr, Pendragon."

"Arthur, please," he insisted and Percival beamed at him.

"Where are you from?" Merlin asked. "That accent's definitely not Welsh."

"No, I came down from Leicester to study in Cardiff and had just graduated when I heard that Kilgharrah's was looking for a new chef and so, obviously, I had to apply."

"I see and, are you now very attached to this city?" Merlin asked and Percival frowned, not understanding the reasons for the questions. "Only there may be an opening in Manchester - which I suppose might even be easier for you if you want to keep in touch with your family and friends from home?"

"A third Kilgharrah's?" he asked, and Merlin nodded. "Well, I would certainly consider it."

"Good," said Merlin, in a tone which indicated the end of the discussion. "It was a pleasure meeting you properly, Percival and do keep up the good work - especially with those 'chocolate dragons', my girlfriend was most impressed." Next to him he heard Arthur quietly scoff at the comment.

After Percival left, the three of them went into Iseldir's office and Merlin was pleased to note that his two companions both seemed impressed with the other as the meeting progressed. They started by going through the basic facts and figures regarding this Cardiff branch, before some more general talk about London and Manchester, as well as some of Merlin's plans for the future.

"We'll be taking a few trips up North in the coming months, I expect," Merlin explained. "I think having Arthur around will be a great help, as it means we can split the trips between us and lighten the load."

"Of course," the blond agreed. "So far, Uther has been happy enough at the suggested time spent working for Kilgharrah's and so should be able to keep the one or two days a week free."

"I know you now have your eye on Head Chef for the new restaurant," said Iseldir, "but what about a manager? Would you like me to keep a look out?"

"Well, Gaius and Gwaine are working on that too but certainly I won't object to an extra pair of ears and eyes," Merlin agreed.

After the meeting, the two young men headed back to the hotel, talking more about the restaurant plans and how they both might work in some visits to Manchester to supervise the various development stages of the project in the upcoming months. When the girls returned, all four took the opportunity to rest a little in their hotel rooms with Morgana and Merlin spending some time with their Comps, making a note of the things they'd discovered during Morgana's hypnosis the night before and putting that together with her earlier dreams and Merlin's recent visions. They hoped that, by writing it all down and mapping it all out, they might notice a pattern or something else of importance that they had so far missed. That task completed, with limited success, Morgana impatiently pulled him onto the bed, stating that she was quite determined to give him the second part of his birthday present and Merlin certainly wasn't about to complain about that.

Later they changed for dinner and made their way downstairs, initially spending some time in the bar before sampling what the hotel restaurant had to offer. Despite some teasing from his friends about the comparisons he might make, Merlin found he really enjoyed eating a high quality meal which didn't require him to analyse or judge it in any way.

"Tonight it really is my birthday," he said. "So I'm just going to enjoy eating this - no thinking required."

Not that there was any chance that his companions were going to forget that fact. When desert arrived, it came with a sparkler inserted, the lights were turned off and there was a sudden loud, embarrassing and slightly out of tune chorus of 'Happy Birthday,' which many other diners decided to join in with.

After several more very large drinks, Merlin weaved back up to his hotel room, supported by a laughing Arthur and Morgana and remembered little more before waking up the following morning with a dry throat and a rather bad headache.

xoxOxox

The first week back in London was very busy for Merlin and his friends. The young owner worked in the restaurant most evenings, made numerous calls to his various contacts about Manchester during the day, whilst still keeping in touch with his board members here and in Cardiff. Arthur continued to juggle his Camelot and Kilgharrah's duties, whilst trying to see Gwen as often as possible, and she had taken on most of the wedding preparation work, knowing full well that both of 'her boys' - as she tended to call them - had their plates full at the moment.

Now that Merlin had helped Morgana to set up her business, he found that she was quite happy to continue that work herself, simply having a short chat with him when the opportunity presented itself or setting up slightly more formal meetings with him if she needed any specific advice or assistance. She had happily supervised the refurbishment of the studio part of the Penthouse suite herself, and had also decided to accept Merlin's invitation to move into one of the smaller flats within the Kilgharrah's building, which was certainly making everything much easier as far as their personal lives were concerned. With Merlin now so busy, he found it very useful to have her living close by, giving him the opportunity to see her briefly at regular intervals, even on days when he had little chance to schedule proper dates with her.

They had recently decided on a couple of set evenings to spend together; knowing full well that, whilst this relationship was still new, they were having trouble getting a full night's sleep when in each other's company. Saying that, Merlin was finding that he was less tired now on the days after his dates with Morgana, now starting to become used to sleeping in her company and not waking up to every little movement she made as he had at the beginning.

A week after they'd come home from Cardiff, Merlin found himself in one of his meetings with Gwaine at The Green Knight. As usual they would discuss business needs, financial news and gossip, with Gwaine's especially unique contacts meaning he often heard things long before most people did.

"Cenred's not returning my calls," Gwaine announced half way through their talk.

"Really? Any idea why?"

"No, but it's making me _very_ nervous."

"What is it with you two, anyway?" Merlin asked.

"Our fathers were big players during the Clan Wars," he replied. "I mean 'big' as in Gang wars rather than Clan wars. His ended up in prison, whilst mine ... ended up dead."

"Cenred's dad was sent to prison for killing your father?" Merlin asked in a shocked tone.

"Well, yes, but Dad was just one of numerous victims," the Irishman replied, anger obvious behind his eyes. "Not that he actually did much of the killing himself, you understand, but he was the ... well, I suppose the best description would be 'Godfather'. The MI5 operatives involved in the case celebrated for a over week when they eventually managed to get him behind bars. 'The biggest hang over in history', the newspapers called it."

"So, how did your father get involved?"

"How did anyone get involved in those days? You went to college, you made friends, they introduced you to their friends and before you knew it ..." He pulled a face.

"You got involved too?" Merlin asked.

"No need to sound so shocked. Everyone who was anyone got involved, even as recently as ten years ago - although it was a lot less serious by the time I was old enough to get roped in. Anyway, when our fathers died, Cenred and I each blamed the other's family, each trying to get our revenge in our own way until ... well, until you stepped in with that little party trick of yours and gave us a reason for a truce."

"So, why the cold shoulder now?" Merlin continued, pulling a face at that little reminder.

"I don't know but, as I said, it's making me nervous." He gave a large sigh. "Anyway, on a more pleasant subject," Gwaine continued. "How are things going with Morgana?"

"Fine," Merlin replied suspiciously.

"Serious?"

"Perhaps?" He continued eyeing his friend nervously. "Where's this going, Gwaine?"

"Just wondered - you know, what with the problems you had before and ... well, I have to look out for your business interests too."

"So?"

"You thinking about marrying her?"

"Gwaine! Not you too?" he complained.

"What? I'm quite aware that you're the sort of lad who tends to fall hard ... or, perhaps I should say, doesn't tend to fall at all unless it's serious." Merlin pulled a face. "So?" Gwaine pushed.

"Yes, it is serious," he admitted with a sigh, "and yes, I think that we may be discussing marriage at some point but ... not yet. At least, not until Gwen and Arthur have tied the knot."

"Well, that's what I thought and it's why I thought now would be a good time to discuss your rather unique financial situation."

"What? You honestly think that someone like Morgana would be after me for my money?" Merlin asked, shocked. "Do you not remember what family she's from?"

"Yes, but I also know that she's starting to break her ties with Uther recently and is now on her own business wise."

"Hardly on her own," he disagreed with a pout.

"Merlin, mate, try to understand that I've only your best interests at heart here; business and personal. I've seen you two together and I know that it's all new and passionate right now but, after her plea to me last month, I've no doubt that she's serious about you too and so ... I just wanted to suggest that we could perhaps start to draw up a prenuptial agreement for the two of you, just in case you ..."

"What? No!" Merlin complained. "That's a sure fire way to ruin the mood. 'Hey, Morgana will you marry me? ... but only if you promise me you're not after my money. Please sign on the dotted line!' Wow, that's really going to make her swoon with joy, isn't it?"

"I'm just asking you to think about it, mate. In this day and age it's only sensible."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 18: <strong>November 2063. A news item shocks the quartet and reveals more about their parents' past.

_**A/N**__ I wondered where Percival might be from and if he'd want to move to a new restaurant, so I looked Tom Hopper up. Perfect … he's from Leicester – far closer to Manchester than either London or Cardiff. Result!_

_'The Bumps': A torment common in countries such as the U.K., Ireland, and the U.S. involves the friends and family of the person whose birthday it is taking him or her by the arms and legs, and 'bumping' him/her up into the air and down onto the floor. The number of bumps given equals the age of the person in years plus one "for luck". Usually the Bumps are administered only to children, in part because, as people grow up, they become too heavy for the process. (from Wiki) _But, of course, Merlin could easily be lifted by the other three!

_Lots of guesses and frustrating from you guys about Morgana's dreams and it's only just dawned on my that I've been a bit mean by not reminding you that our two favourite sorcerers' magic is just a little different in this universe and you might want to come at the problem _from a different angle!_ ;)_

_For the first time in this little saga – we're about to have a significant time jump of five months and you'd better prepare yourself … the story's just about to get notched up several gears! :o_

_There may be another slight delay as my work week gets a little busier - but no later than next Tuesday, I promise. Keep an eye on my PP for up to date publishing information and send me good vibes for my Wednesday and Thursday writing._

_22/11/11  
><em>


	18. Shocking

**Chapter 18: Shocking**

**Five months later: November 2063**

"I think the restaurant's coming along very well now, don't you?" Merlin asked Arthur as they entered Manchester's Piccadilly railway station. The pair had managed to come up together for the first time since the planning permissions had been approved and had spent close to a week working with the new staff and overseeing some final issues before the grand opening in the new year. As a result, they were keen to get back to Gwen and Morgana, both openly admitting how much they'd missed their girlfriends since they'd been away.

"It's certainly following the Kilgharrah's trend for dramatic locations," Arthur agreed. "In fact, I think this one might even have the other two beaten."

"I'm really glad I got you on board so I could push for that one," Merlin said with a broad grin. "Having it right at the top of such an impressive sky-scraper is just perfect for a place named Kilgharrah's."

"I never did get around to asking you why your restaurants are called that," Arthur commented.

"I named it after my toy dragon," Merlin stated proudly. Arthur just stared back at him, eyebrows raised. "Look - I was ten, alright."

"You were still playing with stuffed toys at ten? My father gave all mine away when I was six."

"Why does that not surprise me," Merlin muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Anyway, despite your derogatory comments, it did give me a wonderful theme for the restaurant and the food."

"Of course. Now I fully understand the whole dragon thing. I just thought it was to do with the fact it was originally Welsh."

"Not entirely, although that's the usual reason we give to our customers when they ask."

They were making their way towards the platform and past the large newsagent's shop when Merlin suddenly realised he was walking on his own.

"Merlin!" Arthur hissed and the taller man turned, surprised by his friend's urgent tone.

"What?" he asked, but Arthur just pointed to the electronic board advertising today's top headline, his eyes wild and his face uncharacteristically pale.

_**The parents of Arthur Pendragon's fiancée exposed as key players in the Clan Wars. The unsolved murder of Balinor Ambrosius now reopened.**_

"What!" Merlin shouted, looking at the board in disbelief.

"What are they thinking, printing something like that?" Arthur continued.

"But ... my father? Murder?"

"You said it was just a mugging."

"That's what I thought ... what I was told but ..." Merlin shook his head as tears started to form unbidden. Nearby a rubbish bin fell over with a large crash, making everyone jump and he took several deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. Arthur stared at the bin for a moment before turning back to him with a frown.

"Look, Merlin, let's get a copy and read it on the train - we'd better get going if we're going to catch it." Arthur took out his Comp and sighed. "I left this on mute after that last meeting and now I've suddenly got fifteen messages. Well, they'll just have to wait." He looked up with another frown as most of the lights in the station started to flicker violently, before turning towards the newsagents.

"Yes, but ..." Now it was Merlin who was rooted to the spot in shock, even as his magic flared. Arthur shook his head on seeing his stunned expression, quickly ran into the shop to buy the download, grabbed Merlin, who still hadn't moved, and then dragged him along to catch the train. Once they'd found a seat, Arthur quickly started to read, whilst Merlin, his magic luckily now firmly under control, took out his own Comp and groaned.

"Well, I've got twenty-two messages," he complained. "No, hang on ... make that twenty-five."

"Even more than me then," his friend commented, now accessing the newspaper article. "It says here that Gwen's maternal grandfather was the head of the Light Blue Clan during the wars," Arthur read. "He was eventually caught and sent to prison for his various crimes where he died a couple of years ago."

"But if he's dead …?"

"Yes, but they're still trying to pin this murder on him indirectly ... blaming those members of his family that are on the outside, including Guinevere, which is absolutely ridiculous. Why bring her name into this? She didn't even know about her mother's family."

"She will now," Merlin groaned.

"It also says that the Police are now looking for Tom, wishing to question him urgently in light of this new evidence."

"What evidence? Why?"

"I'm not sure but it all seems a little odd to me. Why wasn't this Godfather's family investigated properly when the knife attack originally happened? Why now?"

"You know, this is all starting to sound a little familiar," Merlin mused.

"Is it?"

"What does it say about my father?"

"An anonymous source has now claimed that the knife attack in November 2061 which claimed the life of Balinor Ambrosius, the founder of the Kilgarrah's restaurants, was actually aimed at Tom Leodegrance who was with him at the time and ..."

"What? Tom was with my father when he died? He never told me that." Merlin was now reeling from all this shocking information. "Why did I not know any of this?"

"Wait ... it says that the attack was aimed at Tom because of his involvement with this Godfather's daughter ... Guinevere's mother ..."

"… Jennifer. Her name was Jennifer, wasn't it?" Merlin groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Yes, of course," Arthur replied calmly and Merlin looked up at him sharply.

"What do you mean, of course? You knew who Jennifer was?"

"What are you talking about, Merlin? I visited her grave when we were in Cardiff. Why are you so surprised, I thought you knew her? Guinevere was telling me that she'd been named after her mother, but given the Welsh variation, you must have known that?"

Merlin groaned again, suddenly understanding. Of course, neither he nor Morgana had told Arthur or Gwen about her dreams, which meant the other couple had been unable to make that very important connection for them. He had also been assuming that all of Morgana's visions were related to the future but, in this case it seemed not. _Or at least, not entirely. _That last though came into Merlin's head so suddenly that he knew it had to be magically inspired.

"I was five. I called her Mrs. Leo - I told you," Merlin explained to Arthur. "I don't think I really registered her given name before now – well, you don't at that age, do you?"

"But this is all ridiculous!" Arthur exclaimed, only half listening to Merlin whilst still reading the article. "They're making out that Guinevere's some criminal herself, just because of her family's activities twenty years ago. If you went by that then I'd also be implicated through Father."

"Yes, but this is a Dark Blue newspaper, isn't it?" said Merlin, starting to gather his wits now the initial shock had died down. "A Light Blue might put a very different spin on things. Can I read that now?"

"In a minute," said Arthur, pressing a few icons, "I really do need to check my messages first – see if there are any urgent ones. Goodness knows what Father's going to say about all of this."

"Hang on, this call is from Morgana so I'd better take it," Merlin suddenly said, looking at his own Comp as it lit up. "Hi, Morgana ..."

_"Merlin, have you heard?"_

"Yes, Arthur and I just saw the headline at the station."

_"But, don't you see? It's my dream, all of it. Jennifer is Gwen's mother and your father stepped in to protect Tom when he was attacked by Cenred and ..."_

"What, wait ... Cenred?" He held a hand out towards Arthur's Comp desperate to read the article, but Arthur just shook his head, still obviously reading messages. "So is this all connected to Gwaine somehow too? Oh, I'm just so confused!"

_"It's crazy here," _Morgana continued. _"Our Comps haven't stopped and Gwen's so stressed about it all. I keep trying to persuade her to switch everything off and wait for things to calm down."_

"That's a good idea. Arthur's here if she wants to talk to him."

_"No, she says she doesn't want him to hear her like this. She's in shock, I think - we all are. She had no idea her father was with yours when he got killed. Well, you didn't know that either, did you?"_

"No and, you're right, Gana, I think this is all a bit too much for any of us to process at the moment. We'll come straight there when the train arrives in London and the four of us can talk this through," Merlin responded.

"Maybe not," Arthur interrupted, holding up his Comp. "Father's insisting I go straight back to his when I get home. Says he's got Aredian and a few other people looking into things."

"Like _that's _going to help," Merlin mumbled sarcastically.

"Tell Morgana he's asking for her too," he continued.

"Arthur says ..."

_"I heard him," _she replied, _"but Uther's just going to have to stick it ... I'm not going anywhere until I've seen you first."_

"Look, let's leave this for the moment, Morgana," Merlin continued. "You stay with Gwen and insist she switches everything off. Ring down to the front desk and make sure no messages are put through from there, either. I'll come back straight away and we'll take it from there."

_"Okay, see you later."_

"Arthur?" he asked as he signed off.

"No, I think you've got the right idea, Merlin," the blond replied, accessing the article and handing it over for him to read. "Best wait until we get home before we try and deal with all of this."

"Fine, but I'm sending a message to Gwaine first. I'm going to insist that he and Tom talk to me about all of this when I get back. I want to know exactly what those two have been hiding and why everyone's been keeping the details of my father's death from me."

"I think I _had_ better go and see my father," Arthur said and then groaned. "Not sure I'm looking forward to another 'I told you so,' speech from him though."

"Are you sure? Gwen seems pretty upset by this - shouldn't you check on her first?"

"I've already sent her a message but, no, I need to know how Uther's reacting to all of this before I see her. Guinevere's got Morgana there and the last thing we need is both of us disobeying him."

"He's only going to try to persuade you to call off the wedding and ..." Merlin stopped suddenly as a strange thought flitted in and then straight out of his brain. He groaned as he tried to hang onto it.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know ... just something ... I heard recently." Merlin was trying very hard to related the article in front of him to the things Morgana had seen in her dreams, but he was struggling to latch on to the specifics at the moment. What he really needed to do was to detach himself emotionally so he could work out exactly what was going on but that was currently impossible; the revelation of his father's death now overriding every other thought process.

The pair continued to read and discuss the article in more detail, but Merlin knew that he needed to hear from Tom and Gwaine, and that anything else was unlikely to be accurate. Despite his advice to Arthur and Morgana, he kept his own Comp switched on, quietly screening all the incoming calls and messages to ensure he caught any important ones.

The most significant of which was Gwaine telling him that he couldn't seem to locate Tom at all and speculating that this might have something to do with the fact he hadn't heard from Cenred for a while either. Merlin showed the message to Arthur who pulled a face.

"Put it away, Merlin. I'm not sure I can think about this any more."

"I think we're going to have to try," Merlin pushed. "Otherwise, how are you going to respond to your father when he tries to insist you and Morgana break off all ties with Gwen and me?"

"What? He won't do that?"

"Won't he? Arthur, you're going to have to face up to the fact that this is all far too much of a coincidence. You might even have to consider the possibility that Uther has something to do with it."

"I'm going to ignore that last comment," said Arthur with a glare. "I understand how upset you must be about all of this, but that's no reason to go and say something like that."

"But, Arthur ..."

"No. No more, Merlin. This is going to be hard enough to deal with without loosing each other's friendship as well. None of this changes anything. I'm still in business with you and I'm still marrying Guinevere. There is no way that anything like this could possibly change that."

xoxOxox

The train doors had barely opened at London Euston before Arthur and Merlin dashed out of their carriage and headed towards the exit. However, they had only just made it out of the main entrance when a female voice shouted over to them.

"Arthur!"

Merlin looked up to see a vaguely familiar blonde girl waving at them and frowned.

"Vivian? What are you doing here?" Arthur asked, clearly shocked.

"Uther knew how close I worked to the station and asked me to pick you up," she said with a smile that was far too sweet to be reassuring. "I'm to take you straight home so that you can discuss these awful events with him." Vivian suddenly seemed to notice that Arthur had company and frowned. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Hi, I'm Merlin," he said, holding out a hand. "We met at ..."

"Oh of course, you're the waiter," she interrupted with a casual flick of the wrist. "Do excuse us, won't you?" and she looped her hand into Arthur's arm and started to pull him towards the car.

"But ..." Arthur pulled back slightly, turning towards Merlin with a helpless look on his face.

"Come on now, no time to waste," she continued with another sickly smile.

"S-sorry, Merlin. I'd better go and see what he wants but … I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

Merlin watched the pair leave, feeling very nervous. Events were spiralling out of his control and he didn't like it one little bit.

He quickly hailed a taxi, grumbling about the London traffic for the whole journey and wishing he could manage some magic spell that would transport him instantly to the restaurant. When he eventually did arrive, he practically flew through the door, barely acknowledging Alice on the desk and took the stairs up to his flat two at a time. Then he barged straight into the living room where he saw Morgana standing over in the kitchenette.

"Merlin!" She gasped, putting her a cup and coming over. "How are you?" She shook her head. "No, sorry, stupid question."

"Morgana, I ..." Seeing her now, after a week apart and with all the shocks of the last few hours, made him feel suddenly very emotional and he fought the tears that were starting to form. "Where's Gwen?" he managed to ask.

"Asleep. Gaius gave her something to calm her down – poor thing was so upset by it all." Merlin just nodded, a tear falling down his cheek, despite himself. Morgana came over and held out her arms and Merlin enclosed her in a frantic embrace, bending over to rest his head on her shoulder whilst she stroked his hair.

"I've missed you so much," he admitted. "Even before all of this."

"Me too," she replied. "Come, let's sit down. You're far too tall for me to comfort properly like this." She moved him to the sofa and sat down beside him, giving an affectionate 'tut' when she the tearful expression on his face. She gently wiped one stray tear away with her hand before pulling her back towards her chest, gently stroking his hair and, this time, he allowed himself to cry properly, no longer caring about embarrassing himself.

xoxOxox

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled into her shoulder after his tears were all spent. He pulled away, now definitely embarrassed, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Don't be silly," she replied, handing him a tissue. "I know how shocked I was so … It must have been so much worse for you."

"That's what you saw, wasn't it? My father's death?"

"Yes and, of course, now it's all coming back clearly," she raised her eyes to the ceiling, annoyed that her visions only became really obvious after the event. "The attacker with long dark hair must have been this Cenred, who the paper's saying is the youngest son of this Godfather – Gwen's uncle apparently."

"Really?" Merlin was shocked. "I met him once – he and Gwaine don't get along."

"Anyway, I'm not sure if his accomplice was anyone significant but, of course, the man I vaguely recognised was Tom. Not only was it dark in my visions but I haven't seen him for a while and what with that, and the fact it was in the past not the future ..." She shook her head again. "Well, I suppose it wasn't surprising that I didn't make the connection before today."

"Yes, and so the other man you saw with long hair must have been my father. You wouldn't have known what he looked like either but … hang on." Merlin quickly opened his Comp and flicked to the photo gallery there. He found his favourite picture; Balinor with his arm around an eight year old Merlin who was proudly holding his very first MasterChef trophy.

"Yes, that was him," she said with a smile that was a little sad, even though she obviously found the sight in front of her highly cute. "My poor Merlin."

"Don't," he said shaking his head as he felt tears pick his eyes again, before another emotion hit him. "Hang on, you said that during one of your dreams too ..." He quickly pressed another icon, accessing the notes they'd been making recently. "Here it is … 'It wasn't an accident – he wasn't the target, Merlin. Oh, my _poor_ Merlin!'" He looked up at her wide eyed.

"Oh, I said that? When?" she asked.

"The night after the Oxbridge Ball," he replied, checking the date. "Then you went on to mentioned Jennifer and the Clan Wars."

"Check the notes again. Is there anything else I said that doesn't seem to fit, that we don't now know the answer too?"

"It's mostly about the Clan Wars, Jennifer and the attack. Other than that you're asking Arthur not to trust someone. That someone is lying."

"Uther." Morgana said, suddenly glaring.

"What? Why do you say that?" Merlin asked, but now she was frowing. "Gana?"

"I don't know, but he was the first person I thought of."

"Well, I'd accuse you of being negatively biased, but I've been getting my own uncomfortable feelings every time Uther's mentioned recently, and the way he insisted that Arthur visited him the moment this news came out was also very suspicous."

"And my dear brother did exactly that, didn't he?" Morgana complained. "Went running back to his precious daddy without a thought for his heartbroken fiancée or his new friend."

"I wouldn't be too hard on him, he has his reasons for seeking Uther's approval."

"He just needs to grow a decent pair of balls."

"Morgana!" Merlin loved her dearly, but she really did come out with some shocking things sometimes.

"Well, I dare you to say otherwise. He's twenty-eight for goodness sake and really needs to lead his own life now."

"Perhaps, but I'm more worried about what scheme Uther might have up his sleeve. He sent Arthur's ex-girlfriend to meet him at the station - the one he brought to Kilgharrah's?"

"What, Vivian?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh now, that isn't good news at all. Uther and her father had their heart set on a marriage between those two. What is he up to now?"

"No idea, but I really don't like it." He gave a large, heavy sigh.

"What now, Merlin? Do you want to rest? Perhaps you should take some of what Gaius gave to Gwen?"

"No, not now. I've arranged to meet with him, Gwaine and Mum in a while and I honestly can't focus on anything until I fully understand what's been going on here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I pretty much ordered them to attend." He gave her a weak smile. "I try not to abuse my authority over them normally but, in this case, I felt it was necessary."

"Then I'm coming too," she announced.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, because it's likely I've had other dreams that I don't remember or you didn't witness, and once they start telling us what they know, it may well trigger my memory."

"That's a good point. Could you make me a very strong coffee whilst I wash my face and tidy myself up a bit? Then we'll go downstairs and hear what they have to say."

xoxOxox

Merlin came out of the bathroom to find Morgana frowning at her Comp whilst holding her own cup of coffee in the other hand. Merlin sat down next to her, took a sip of his and pulled a face at the taste.

"Sorry, too strong?" Morgana asked, flicking her gaze towards him briefly.

"Yes, but exactly what I need right now. What messages are you getting?"

"I've got one here from Lancelot which is confusing me a little."

"Why? What does it say?"

"That he's just heard the news and thinks we should talk, especially considering the conversation he recently had with Uther."

"Really? You'd better ring him then." She nodded, dialled and then, after a few seconds, put her Comp on 'speaker' and placed it on the coffee table in-between them. On a sudden whim, Merlin pressed a few icons on his own device and put it down next to hers.

"_Hello, Morgana, thanks for getting back to me."_

"You're welcome, Lancelot. I'm here with Merlin, by the way, and I've got you on speaker, do you mind?"

"_No, that's fine. Hello, Merlin. I'm sorry to hear the news about your father. Well, I hadn't made the connection before this, obviously."_

"Ah, thanks. What was it that Uther talked to you about?"

"_Well, it was a bit uncomfortable really so I tried to ignore it initially. He had pushed me about my date with Morgana before - you remember I said as much when we last spoke? Anyway, he called again recently, saying that she was in an unsuitable relationship and would I ask her out again."_

"What? How dare he!" Morgana exclaimed.

"_Well, I asked who it was and he replied, 'some waiter,' so I guessed it was you, Merlin, and refused, realising that he was just putting you down because of your job." _Morgana continued to grumble at the news, whilst Merlin found that last comment rather amusing. _ "Honestly I wouldn't have even worried about that too much, except that some other guy approached me a couple of days ago, s__aid he was a friend of Uther's and started talking about Gwen - said he knew how I felt about her."_

"How would he know that?" Merlin asked.

"_Well, exactly. I thought it was just us four and Gwaine that were aware of that situation and so ..."_

"... and Vivian," Morgana interrupted.

"Ah!" Merlin responded.

"_Really, you think it was her?" _ Lancelot asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Merlin. "What did Aredian say next?"

"_Yes, that _was_ his name … I couldn't remember it. How did you know?"_

"Educated guess. What did he say, Lancelot?"

"_Not much more, just that perhaps I shouldn't give up on her so easily, that perhaps her marriage wasn't that certain after all. In the end I tried acting a bit, thanking him for the information and then, well when the news broke about Gwen's family today, I realised what Arthur might think of that and thought I'd better contact you."_

"Well, I think you have the right idea," said Morgana, "and thank you so much for letting us know."

"_What are friends for?"_

"Have you heard about my new business?" Morgana asked him, her tone now much lighter.

"_Yes, of course."_

"Well then, if you want your photo taken, just let me know and I'll give you a family discount."

"_Really?"_

"Don't be fooled, Lancelot," Merlin said with a smirk at his girlfriend. "Morgana was desperate to photograph you long before this."

"I did not say … desperate, just … that he'd make a good model," she retorted shooting him a wide eyed look, urging him to behave.

"_Well, if you really think I'm suitable." _Lancelot continued and Morgana rolled her eyes. Merlin had certainly thought it odd for Morgana to want to photograph _him_, but was highly amused that someone like Lancelot might think like that too.

"Thanks again, Lancelot," Merlin continued. "I'm sorry but we really have to go now but I promise we'll keep you informed."

_"You're welcome and good luck with everything."_

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 19: Revealing. <strong>Urgent meetings are called in light of the recent revelations.

_**A/N **__I hoped you followed all of that? There will be more questions answered in the next chapter, but do let me know if you have any specific issues and I'll make sure I haven't missed anything out. _

_Reading through this chapter for editing after Saturday's episode feels really weird somehow. So much about this seems to resonate, even though it really is a very different set of circumstances and I roughly wrote it out two weeks ago._

_However, Arthur getting cross at Merlin for accusing Uther, _was_ taken from recent reactions to Merlin/Agravaine in the show itself, in fact I'm pinching quite a few lines from our canon characters now – keep an eye out._

_Anyway, as feared, the writing has not been going so well recently with work and other commitments starting to eat into my spare time. I just need to timetable a little more specific 'writing time' during the week and hope things pick up soon. After all, the end isn't that far away and I've had it all mapped out in my head for some time now, so it really is all about finding time to type – nothing more. I'm determined to keep up once a week updates if at all possible though - check my PP for up to date information.  
><em>

_29/11/11  
><em>


	19. Revealing

**Chapter 19****: Revealing **

After the phone call with Lancelot, Merlin and Morgana went down one flight of stairs to the conference room to meet with Gwaine, Gaius and Hunith in the board room.

"Merlin ..." Hunith held her arms out to her son, but he just shook his head whilst giving her a slightly accusing glare.

"You knew, didn't you? You all did." The expressions on their faces answered the question for him. "Why did no-one ever tell me?"

"We thought it for the best," Gaius explained.

"I had a right to know," he responded in an accusational tone.

"You'd been through so much, had so much on your plate, we didn't want to burden you any further," Hunith explained.

"I had a right to know," Merlin said more firmly, leaning forward slightly as he spoke. Next to him Morgana came closer and put a hand on his arm. Gwaine looked at her quizzically.

"I'm staying," she said, arching an elegant eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not sure if ..."

"She's staying," Merlin repeated and signalled for them all to sit down. "So, now you're going to tell me exactly what's been going on. All of it."

"Well, you know a little of the rivalries back then," Gaius started. "The idea of Dark and Light were at least as marked as they are now but, in some cases, the prejudices against people from the other colleges became ridiculous – almost like the bad old days of racial prejudice when you were not allowed to be seen somewhere if you were the wrong colour. This became especially marked when it came to mixed relationships or marriages, with many parents quite horrified if they discovered that their child was consorting with the 'wrong sort'." Merlin scoffed and Morgana folded her arms petulantly, the couple quite aware that they now fell into this very category.

"Well, quite," Gaius continued, acknowledging their discomfort. "More to the point, these ruling houses even started to arrange their offsprings' marriages – I believe there is even a hint of that nowadays? Uther pushing Arthur to marry his friend's daughter?"

Morgana nodded a confirmation. "I just thought he was being … well, Uther," she commented.

"It was an idea that he grew up with, as did many of us so … I expect that he believes that it is perfectly acceptable. Anyway, Jennifer was set to marry Gwaine's father."

"Really?" Merlin asked, turning to Gwaine who gave a slightly embarrassed looking shrug.

"The two were good friends and I don't think they especially questioned the arrangement initially," Gaius continued, "but, once at college, they started to get involved with some of the Bohemian types - those that rebelled against this new order - and they regularly attended some of the mixed parties that were infamous at the time."

"Oh, they're still going on," said Morgana with a smile. "I went to a few of those myself. It made Arthur terribly nervous."

"I can imagine," said Gaius with a sympathetic smile, "but, I have to say, that it was very much worse back then and quite a scandal if people from certain families were caught attending. Anyway, it was at one such party where Jennifer met Tom and the pair quickly fell in love, whilst Gwaine's father also found forbidden love in the form of a non-Blue pub owner's daughter and the rest, as they say, is history."

"So, what happened when Jennifer's family found out?" Merlin asked.

"Well, Tom's closest friends, Uther, Aredian and Agravaine discovered the relationship first and, although initially against it, started to come around when Jenny said she would happily 'become' a Dark Blue - disown the Light - if it made things easier for them to accept," Gaius explained. "That sort of thing happened quite a lot with the younger generation at the time – the older ones, however, rarely accepted these conversions."

"And, of course, Jen's family certainly didn't." Hunith said, taking up the story. "They threatened her and Tom to such an extend that they feared for their safety and so, they eventually decided to run. With help from their friends of both colours, the couple moved to Wales where the Clan Wars were not so extreme, changed their names and lay low for a while, waiting for the fuss to die down.

"Within a few years, it had. The MI5's campaign happened when you were just babies and, so, by the time her father was in prison, Jen and Tom had settled down nicely and befriended me and your father, another mixed couple, also trying to fit in. Tom was still friendly with Uther and his London contacts and so he and Balinor quickly became a successful team, building strong friendship and business interests, until your catering success allowed them to take Balinor's restaurant plans seriously."

"So Jennifer's death really was natural, as Gwen believes?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, although Tom often wondered if she'd deliberately ignored the early signs of her illness, just to make things easier. Near the end, she confided in me, saying that she believed it would be much easier for Tom and the children when she was gone. That there would be no real reason for her father or brothers to threaten her husband or children when she was no longer around."

"But, that's horrible," said Morgana. "What a waste. What a shame."

"Yes but, in fact, as much as he missed his wife, Tom did start to relax more as the years went by," Hunith continued, "taking more trips to London to visit his old contacts and, eventually, agreeing to move back here when we all returned to open the London branch." She winced. It was very subtle but Merlin saw it and his magical intuition allowed him to understand exactly what it meant.

"That was me, wasn't it? Dad kept saying it could wait another year or two, that there was no rush, but I kept pushing for London … kept saying we should give it a go."

"Merlin, this isn't your fault, don't believe that for a moment," Hunith insisted. "You know very well that your father was at least as stubborn as you and would not have agreed if he hadn't believed it was the right time, and, Tom was perfectly happy to come over here." Merlin shook his head, despite her reassurances, and quickly found Morgana's hand on his arm again. He turned to give her a weak smile of thanks.

"So, what happened two years ago?" Morgana asked, obviously understanding that Merlin needed a moment to collect his thoughts. "How was Balinor's death connected to the Clan Wars?"

"I'm not sure," Gaius mused. "Perhaps it was the death of the Godfather in prison that triggered his family's grief? Certainly his son, Cenred, started to become more prominent from that point on – perhaps this was all at his instigation?"

"He and I had been at each other's throats for years, of course," said Gwaine, taking up the story. "His family blamed my father too – both for having supported Jenny in regards to Tom, as well as sheltering them and helping them escape when things got really bad. That was what was really at the root of that rivalry I mentioned before."

"Did you know that it was actually him?" Merlin asked in an uncharacteristically deep and stern voice.

"What do you mean?" Gwaine asked.

"Did you know that it was Cenred that killed my Father?"

"What!" The three older people stood up in shock, whilst Merlin and Morgana exchanged a confused look.

"But … didn't it say that in the article?" Merlin asked. Next to him Morgana gave an exaggerated groan.

"No, it didn't - sorry. It was just … there was this picture of him there and I ..." She bit her lip as she looked at Merlin wide-eyed, and he quickly realised that she must have made some connection in regard to her visions.

"Can I tell them, Morgana? They all know about me and it'll probably help." She stared at him for several long seconds before eventually giving a reluctant nod. "Morgana's got abilities too," Merlin explained. "She's been having these prophetic dreams for some time … well, I'm not sure prophetic is the right word seeing she's been dreaming of my father's murder, but ..."

"What did you see, exactly?" Gaius asked, suddenly looking very excited, despite the serious nature of the conversation.

"Basically a group of people I didn't really recognise - Well, I knew Tom a little - but then I saw a picture of Cenred in that article and instantly recognised him as the attacker."

"She told me on the phone just before I read the article myself but, after that call, I suppose I'd just filled in the gaps by myself," Merlin admitted. "You're right, the article only mentions Cenred as Gwen's uncle but, thanks to Morgana, we now know the full truth."

"Merlin, this is huge. If you know who killed Balinor, you have to go with the Police with it."

"And tell them what, Gwaine?" Gaius asked, raising an eyebrow. "That Merlin's girlfriend had a dream about Cenred killing Balinor?"

"Ah?"

"He's right," Morgana said with a sigh. "I know it's true but there is no other evidence, is there?"

"Not yet," Merlin stated firmly, "but, give us time and we'll find it."

"What else have you dreamt about in regard to this, Morgana?" Hunith asked her gently.

"Just enough to suspect that Uther's involved somehow."

"And we now have real evidence of him and Areidan trying to persuade Lancelot to help break us up, as well as Gwen and Arthur," Merlin mused.

"You think that's what this is all about?" Hunith asked, shocked. "Uther's brought all of this out in the open, just to discredit Gwen, so that Arthur won't marry her?"

"He wants to break me and Merlin up too," said Morgana thoughtfully, "and I suspect that trying to get Lancelot back into the picture is not the main way he expects to do it either."

"Gana?" Merlin asked, recognising the signs. She was remembering something more.

"I'm not sure but ... there's more going on here. I think Uther's discovered something else that he's convinced will help push us apart. I knew he was being too laid back about our relationships." She muttered the last sentence almost to herself but then looked up at the group more forcefully. "I think he knows, that if Merlin and I were to split on bad terms, I'd struggle to run the business on my own and would then have to go crawling back to him."

"Well, he's wrong about that in all sorts of ways," said Merlin. "I'm not that spiteful and I certainly haven't made it this far in business to give up on a good deal just because of a broken heart." She frowned at him not understanding. "What I mean is that, even if you really did walk out on me, I'd still make sure your business stayed afloat."

"You would?" Morgana looked at him with a stunned expression and he gave her an embarrassed smile back.

"It makes perfectly good business sense," Gwaine agreed with a grin, "and Merlin, unlike Uther, has learnt not to let personal feelings or colour get in the way of a good business deal."

"But what could Uther possibly have that would even make him think he could split you two up?" Hunith asked.

"No idea, we've no secrets now, have we, Morgana?"

"No …" She shook her head. "It _is_ worrying but I can't see what he can reveal that will make me change my mind about you, and I honestly can't see how Arthur will want to call off his wedding because of this either, even if he does tend to be terribly bad at going against his father's wishes."

"So, did you find out where Tom is now?" Merlin asked Gwaine.

"He's turned himself into the police."

"What?"

"He felt guilty for not telling them of his part in Balinor's death. Well, strictly speaking he did break the law, for concealing the fact that he was the intended target, nevermind the fact that he withheld vital information about a murder."

"Why did he?" Merlin asked.

"Because he knew that, by accusing his attacker, he would be exposing you and Gwen to the whole sordid vendetta and that there was even a possibility that the Police might start to think it was him that had killed Balinor and that he was just trying to protect himself."

"Surely not."

"I know it seems extreme, but those two families continued to take these things deadly seriously, years after the Wars were officially over and Tom honestly didn't believe that the Police had enough power to go against that family, even in more recent years."

"This is for Jennifer," Morgana quoted again.

"Sorry?" Gwaine asked her.

"Something else I witnessed in my vision. Cenred said that to Tom when he attacked him. Then Balinor stepped forward to protect him and was stabbed instead." Hunith gave a little sob and Merlin ducked his head quickly as his eyes started to sting. "Sorry," Morgana apologised with a wince, accepting her lack of sensitivity.

"No, no. That's fine. I knew something of that from Tom at the time, but he was understandably vague about the whole thing," Hunith reassured her.

"So, what should I tell Gwen?" Merlin asked.

"We're not sure. This has already been such a shock for her," said Hunith.

"Does she know about Tom? I mean where he is now?" Merlin asked.

"No, but she will definitely needs to be told that."

"I think she needs to be told _everything_," Morgana continued firmly. "Merlin and I will do that, won't we? Slowly and carefully as and when she's ready to hear it?"

"Yes, of course. Morgana, are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm part of this now in so many ways. I can't _not_ be involved."

"Thank you," he replied as the intercom suddenly buzzed. Hunith got up to answer it as the others continued with their conversation.

"Yes, thank you, Morgana," Gwaine said, "and I'm sorry if I didn't seem pleased to see you here today. It was right that you heard all of this and contributed."

"Merlin, can you go to the restaurant for a minute?" Hunith suddenly announced. "There's a problem in the kitchen that they need your help with?"

"Great!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "What now?" He turned to look at them all. "Well, I think we're all finished here anyway, aren't we?" He looked over at Morgana who was talking quietly with Gwaine, she returned the glance and nodded.

"Yes, I'll see you back upstairs later. I'll go and stay with Gwen until then," she replied.

"Thanks," he said as he hurried out, leaving the other four to continue the conversation in his absence.

xoxOxox

Luckily the problem in the kitchen wasn't that serious and so Merlin went straight back up to the apartment but was surprised to find that Morgana wasn't there. Assuming she's just gone up to her studio for a minute, Merlin softly knocked on Gwen's door and, on hearing no answer, quietly tip-toed in to find her just waking up.

"Who is it?" she asked sleepily, switching on the light in the now dark room.

"It's Merlin. How are you feeling?"

"You're back! Thank goodness." She sat up and threw her arms around him as he sat down on the side of her bed. "You've heard, of course. It's all horrible."

"Yes," he agreed, "but it's nothing we can't survive."

"Whatever will Arthur say about this?"

"He'll be fine. He's just gone home to talk to Uther."

"Oh, he'll make him call off the wedding, won't he?" she guessed.

"He'll try," Merlin growled, "but don't you worry about that, Morgana and I will make sure he sees sense."

"Oh, Merlin, don't get angry. You know what you're like."

"I'm fine," he said gesturing around the room. "Look ... no magic. Morgana should be down in a minute and then we'll tell you a little of what's been happening. If you're up for it?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good."

xoxOxox

"Where have you been?" Merlin asked as they walked back into the sitting room to find Morgana only just walking through the front door.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd be back this quickly," she replied with a slightly nervous smile.

"The problem wasn't that serious," he explained and she gave him a far more genuine smile in response. "Well?" he pushed.

"Oh, I was just talking with the others about my visions," she explained.

"Your what?" Gwen asked, suddenly coming over from the kitchenette.

"Ah ..." said Merlin with a wince.

"So, you two don't tell each other _everything_, after all?" Morgana said with a gentle laugh.

"That really wasn't my secret to tell," Merlin replied.

"True," Morgana said, turning to Gwen. "I have powers too. Not the same as Merlin's – nowhere near as strong but … I have these dreams – visions and, they've been showing me much of this … incident recently but, neither of us really understand what it all meant until now."

"She's been a great help," Merlin explained. "Mum, Gaius and Gwaine have been telling us what they know of your family background and we've even filled in some gaps due to our talent."

"So, you've a lot to tell me then," said Gwen in a slightly accusational tone.

"Sorry but ..."

"No, it's fine and, honestly, I'm not sure I'd have wanted everything thrown at me at one go, anyway."

"In which case I'll tell you the most important thing," said Merlin gently taking one of her hands. "Your father was with mine when he was killed."

"Yes, I read that. Why didn't my father say something?"

"He didn't want to accuse or be accused and that was mostly because of us. Now he's turned himself in to the police."

"No!" Gwen gasped putting her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Don't worry. We know he's innocent and I promise you we'll find a way to prove it," said Merlin.

"You mean, they might actually believe that he killed Balinor? But, that's ridiculous – they were best friends. What motive could they possibly think he had?"

"The restaurant, perhaps?"

"Look, there's no point speculating yet," Morgana interrupted. "Let's see what happens in regard to that and with Uther. Talking of which, I think I should phone Arthur now and find out what's going on over there, or would you like to do that, Gwen?"

"N-no, you go ahead."

Morgana moved to one side to call her half-brother whilst Merlin moved a little closer to Gwen on the sofa and let his best friend rest her head on his shoulder.

"This is all so horrible," she mumbled.

"Yes, I know."

"Bad enough we had to loose our parents in the first place, far worse to have it all brought up again like this."

They stayed in silence for a moment, only to be brought out of their quiet contemplation from a series of very loud swear words from Morgana.

"What now?" Merlin almost sighed.

"Uther, of course," she snarled. "Arthur's not telling me everything but he's cross and stressed out about something – saying stupid stuff and ..." She swore some more.

"Morgana, calm down. What _did_ he say?" Merlin pressed.

"Uther's called another meeting. He wants you and I there to meet with him and Arthur."

"Not me?" Gwen asked.

"No, I suspect he knows only too well that he couldn't persuade Arthur to anything whilst you were in the same room."

"He's got something else up his sleeve, that much is certain," Merlin mused. "There's no way that Arthur would be like this just because of something Gwen's grandfather and Uncle did."

"No, you're right – there's definitely more." Morgana agreed.

"Such as?" Gwen asked fearfully.

"Perhaps it has something to do with what Lancelot told us," Morgana speculated.

"Lancelot?" Gwen suddenly flushed.

"What? What is it?" Merlin asked suspiciously.

"Well, we are still in touch a bit," she admitted. "He contacted me first to ask me if Merlin was still seeing Morgana. Wouldn't say much more but he sounded worried about something."

"Yes, that was about Uther trying to persuade him to ask Morgana out again, in the hope that she would stop seeing me," said Merlin.

"Really? Well, Lancelot didn't say much more but then … well, it was strange - last week I got another message to meet him, but this one came through the front desk and I did briefly think it was odd that he hadn't just texted if he'd wanted to meet with me."

"What did it say?"

"He asked to meet me to discuss something of importance regarding Arthur so … well, I went, but Lancelot seemed a bit confused initially and we both talked around in circles for a while before we realised … well, we suspected, that someone else had sent those messages."

"Right," said Merlin. "I think I can see where this is going now, and it looks like we all need to talk through our suspicions and fears as a threesome and imagine every worst case scenario we can. Uther's planning to shock us and Arthur with various things tomorrow and we need to be certain that we are calmly prepared to hear and respond to anything he might throw at us."

"What about Arthur?" Gwen asked.

"There's probably little we can do about him. I'll try sending him a 'keep an open mind' message but, I suspect Uther's already got to him or persuaded him to turn off his Comp. Either way, I think we're going to have to be prepared for a confrontation with him too."

XoxOxox

Merlin initially made no comment when Morgana accompanied him back to his apartment, casually changed into one of his pyjama shirts, and then got into his bed without any attempt at her usual seduction.

"I thought you might appreciate the company," she stated seeing his confused look, "but I promise I'll behave."

"What if I need comforting?" he asked with a slight pout.

"You can have all the hugs you like," she replied pointedly. "Come to bed now, you need to get some sleep."

"I can try," he grumbled, changing into his pyjamas and getting in next to her. It was strange, but also rather pleasant, to have Morgana simply kiss him on the cheek and snuggle up to him, and he found that he really did appreciated it after the day he'd had.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done today," he mumbled.

"Nonsense. Haven't I spent the last few months complaining about how one-sided this relationship has become and how much you've been doing for me? Now it's my turn to look after you for a change."

"Well, I really do appreciate it. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now sleep."

"I really have missed you, you know?" he mumbled sleepily, his eyes now starting to feel heavy.

"I've missed you too."

xoxOxox

Merlin woke up a little later to find himself curled up against Morgana's back, his arms around her waist and his face nuzzled in her thick, black hair. He pushed his hips forward a little, realising he was already turned on, even before he'd become aware of their intimate position. She wriggled back against him in response and he quietly moaned at the pleasant sensations, one hand moving up to a breast and the other down to a bare leg and then slowly back up her inner thigh.

"Merlin," she gasped. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I told you, I need comforting." His fingers continued to explore and she moved her legs slightly in response and gasped as he started to gently caress her. Unable to resist his ministrations any further, she rolled onto her back and moved her head for a gentle kiss. He responded wholeheartedly, before quickly pulling his pyjama bottoms down and impatiently moving to kneel between her legs.

"I thought you might just want to cuddle?" Morgana continued her gentle protest, although it was obviously very half hearted.

"Not really, no," Merlin replied, frowning as he realised how dark it was. "But, this won't do at all. Hang on ..." He casually waved a hand and turned the lights on.

"What? How did you do that?"

"How do you think?" he smirked. "That's better, now I can see your eyes."

"My eyes?" she asked in a surprised voice and then gasped as he unexpectedly pushed himself slowly inside her.

"They are so beautiful, I just want to study their colour," he responded calmly, very slowly pulling out and pushing back in again.

"T-the ... colour ...?" she gasped as he continued to move especially slowly and gently.

"Yes. You are so beautiful, and clever and wonderful and I really have missed you _so_ much." He didn't know what it was, but he was feeling in an especially odd mood and needed … something. At that moment, he wasn't quite sure what that something was.

"Please," she begged him. "Can't you go a little faster?"

"No, I don't want to," he replied in a slight sulky voice and she raised an eyebrow, obviously even more confused by his odd mood than he was. Then she gasped as he pushed forward again, still very, very slowly. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes with a groan as he subtly added a little magic at the same time. "How am I suppose to study your eyes if you keep closing them?" he complained.

"Merlin ..?"

"Just keep looking at me, all the time. I want to ... watch you." He was quite aware that his request had come out as an order.

"But ..."

The slow pace was driving him crazy too but, he had to admit that he was also loving it and watching her this closely during sex was new too. They usually both had their heads buried in a neck, or their eyes closed in ecstasy - this was quite different and very, very romantic. Gradually Morgana was beginning to get the idea, gradually accepting the slower pace and enjoying the opportunity to look deeply into his eyes as they made love.

"Did I say how much I missed you?" he repeated.

"Yes ... several times. I missed you too but, Merlin, this is ..."

"Wonderful?"

"Yes, but ... strange and ..." She gasped again as he added a bit more magic on the next push, even as she kept her eyes firmly fixed on his and her whole body trembled in response to his ministrations. "I love you ..." she declared with a gasp as she climaxed.

That was also new - they usually made a lot of noise, but her quiet declaration was far more of a turn-on for Merlin who followed Morgana almost immediately – still looking deep into her amazing green eyes. "I love you too," he declared.

Then he just stayed there, revelling in the loving gaze she was giving him. She swallowed hard, her eyes moist and he felt his sting too, his heart pounding more that it ever had during their more passionate love making sessions.

After several more long minutes, they eventually moved and Merlin gathered Morgana into his arms and held her close, although he took a very long time to fall asleep. They had both said 'I love you' before, but tonight had felt very different and he had a feeling that Morgana was now just as confused as he was about how much emotion they had just experienced.

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Chapter 20: Straining. <strong>There are more shocks and revelations which strain already fragile relationships to the limit.

_**A/N **__Work has been horrible and I've been getting really stressed and loosing confidence in my abilities. So, my thanks for your kind responses recently – it's nice to know the writing's still working at least. My line manager even complimented me on my calm and well written email response to one issue – so it looks like my obsession/hobby is actually doing me some favours in that department – lol!_

_No doubt my personal stress and the dark tone of this current series of 'Merlin' will find itself into a new fic sometime soon. Every cloud ...  
><em>

_Anyway, things are a little better now and, despite the fact I've done very little writing in this last week, it's fortunate that I've been a few chapters ahead for a while now and so am still able to update today. I've also got an annoying gap in chapter 21 which I've deliberately skipped over because I've been hoping for inspiration during this Saturday's episode! Hmm, I wonder what that can be about then? ;) _

_No work tomorrow so I want to write. I'm hoping/planning to do lots and lots of typing! Send me your positive vibes please :D_

_6/12/11  
><em>


	20. Straining

**Chapter 20: Straining**

Merlin had a couple of things to organise in the restaurant early that morning, but when they'd been resolved to his satisfaction, he went back up to his flat to meet with Morgana before going onto Uther's meeting. He arrived to find her sitting close to Gwen on the sofa looking at something on a Comp; the latter looking a little red eyed whilst Morgana simply seemed cross at what she was seeing.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's not important," said Morgana firmly. "I'll tell you on the way - it might well come up in the meeting anyway." She turned to give Gwen a reassuring smile. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I admit that my brother's an idiot, but he's not _that_ much of an idiot. Trust me on this."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right, Morgana. Thank you." Gwen looked nervously at them as she headed back towards her room. "Good luck today, you two, I hope it's not _too_ bad."

"Thank you. So, are you ready, Morgana?" Merlin asked.

"Just about." She paused, biting her lip as she waiting for Gwen to close the door. "Merlin, about last night?"

"Ah, sorry if that made you uncomfortable," he apologised. "It's just … well, I was feeling rather emotional and …"

"Oh no, I didn't mind," she reassured him. "Not really, it was just … a bit ..."

"A bit too much. Yes, I know."

"But, perhaps ..."

"We really ought to be going, but we can talk about this more later if you want?" He continued quickly, determined to change the subject. He was still worried that he might have put her off by being too intense last night and was well aware that Morgana had not wanted a serious relationship in the first place. It was probably best to take things slowly and just be grateful for what he had.

"Yes, of course," she replied with a small sigh. "Let's get this meeting over and done with, shall we?"

They arrived by taxi at the main headquarters of Camelot and were shown up to a conference room that was twice the size of Kilgharrah's. There in the room was Arthur, Uther and, Merlin supposed, Aredian. An exceptionally large screen was visible to all seats and was glowing with the faint light which implied it was going to be used in some capacity during this meeting.

"Mr. Wyllt, Morgana," Uther said formally. "Please sit down."

"What are you up to now, Uther?" Morgana demanded, but Uther just stared her out before continuing as if she hadn't spoken at all. Merlin cast a glance at Arthur to try and gauge his current emotions, but the blond was doing his best to ignore them, instead fiddling with the ring he usually wore on his thumb. He was pointedly ignoring the band he now wore on his ring finger since being engaged to Gwen, which was making Merlin very nervous.

"So, I have called this meeting because of a number of important facts that have come to my notice these last few weeks," Uther began. "I have already told Arthur some of these but I thought it best if Mr. Wyllt was here when I mentioned the rest and, seeing that you haven't been responding to my calls, Morgana, I thought you should come along and hear this too."

"If this is about my father's death?" Merlin queried.

"No, not entirely. Obviously, most of that information is out in the public domain now and, far be it for me to make any comment about the characters involved in_ that _particular fiasco."

"Arthur?" Merlin asked. "You said yesterday that Gwen's family history meant nothing to you, that her parents involvement in the Clan Wars would not make you view her any differently. Do you still feel the same way?"

"It's not quite as simple as that, Merlin," Arthur replied. "Let's just say that I do not appreciate being lied to."

"What? By Gwen? I think you'll find that you are missing one key piece of information there," Merlin said.

"You knew about that too?" the blond asked with a glare.

"Look, Arthur, you're not the only one who has been getting information from the older generation during the last day. I was telling you the complete truth yesterday and was just as shocked - even more shocked than you were at the station. This is my father's death we're talking about, after all."

"Perhaps but, as I said, it's not quite as simple as that."

"Indeed not," Aredian contributed. "We have come across some very interesting information during our own enquiries which we would like to share with you. Do you recognise this man, Mr. Wyllt?" He pressed a button on the desk and the screen suddenly lit up with the image of a man tied to a chair, his long, dark hair unkempt and greasy and his face showing obvious signs of abuse. Merlin stood up in shock at the sight, knocking his chair over in the process.

"That's where Cenred's been. You've been holding him?" He turned to the two men and his shocked look turned to disgust. "You've been torturing him? Seriously? Do you not know what century this is?"

"Merlin," said Morgana fairly gently, although he could hear some other emotion in her voice too. "I know it's not easy to look at but ... don't forget what he's done."

"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked and Merlin turned to see the older men looking confused by her comment too. Was it really possible that they didn't know that very important piece of information? Well, why would they when Morgana had only witnessed it in a vision? With his magical intuition now seeming to back up that guess, Merlin gave a sudden, slightly manic bark of laughter.

"Is there something you would like to share with us, Mr. Wyltt?" Aredian asked in a voice that seemed to be permanently tinged with amusement.

"Why did you capture Cenred?" Merlin asked, suddenly calmer. "Was it to gather information about Gwen's parents and try to implicate them in my father's death?" He gave them a slightly amused look, daring them to follow this road and fall into his trap.

"That would actually be funny if it wasn't quite so sad," Morgana quietly added.

"What are you on about now? What other secrets have you been hiding?" Arthur accused.

"Not hiding - discovering. There are things we now know only after putting all the pieces together yesterday." Merlin turned to Uther and his expression became far sterner. "Uther, I demand that you turn my father's murderer over to the police immediately."

"What, Cenred? That's a ridiculous accusation, the man's a coward," Aredian stated.

"Of course he is. Why else would he carry a knife to confront a man about some ridiculous twenty year old rivalry?"

"I'm not sure what information you believe you have ..." Uther started and Merlin sighed.

"Grief stricken after his own father's death, Cenred sought out Tom to confront him over his marriage to his niece Jennifer and her subsequent cutting of all family ties," Merlin explained in a slightly bored tone. "However, my father, Balinor, stepped forward to protect his friend and was stabbed instead. A little fact that everyone seems to have decided to keep from me until yesterday."

"What evidence do you have?" Aredian pushed.

"Why did you capture Cenred?" Merlin repeated, ignoring the man's question. "What could you possible have expected to achieve?"

"Ah, now, that brings us onto the main reason for this little meeting. If you would care to sit down, Mr. Wyllt, I promise you that our 'guest' will be quickly turned over to the police in light of this new evidence but, first of all, I would like your opinion on this ..." He pressed a button and the image on the screen looked up, his face bruised and his eyes fearful and rather blank looking.

_"Look, that's all I've got, alright?" _Cenred complained. _"Nothing that you don't already know ... Tom Leodegrance fell in love with Jennifer and ran away with her, whilst Gwaine and his family supported them and laid numerous false trails for my father. That Tom was attacked in retribution is not in any doubt - it's just unfortunate that his friend got in the way."_

_"So, that was just a co-incidence?"_ the off camera voice of Aredian asked. _"Balinor Ambrosius was not involved in this feud? There are rumours that Tom had been after 'Kilgharrah's' for years and would do anything to become the owner."_

In the conference room, Merlin let out a loud scoff.

_"I know nothing about that," _Cenred insisted on screen.

_"But, thanks to his death, Tom did take over, didn't he? He's the mysterious Mr. Emrys, isn't he?" _ Merlin heard Morgana's amused reaction beside him, but his gaze was now firmly fixed on Arthur who frowned on hearing this and turned a confused look towards his father. No, he hadn't seen this recording before; Uther was hoping to shock his son into breaking all ties with him and Gwen but this, along with a few more of their 'facts', were just about to be shot down; something Merlin was going to take a great deal of pleasure in doing.

_"I told you, I know nothing of that restaurant,"_ Cenred continued.

_"What about his son, Merlin?" _ He was obviously shown a picture off screen because the captured man looked up with a frown and his expression suddenly became more alert.

_"Wait ... I know _him_." _ Merlin's heart sunk as he finally realised where this had been heading all along. Cenred had just been shown his picture and was about to go back on their bargain. _"I ... didn't know who he was, but I certainly know what that freak is capable of."_ Next to him, Morgana gasped at the comment, whilst Merlin glared at Uther's smug expression.

_"Why do you call him that?" _ Aredian pushed and Cenred then proceeded to give a rather dramatic, slightly exaggerated account of that night in Gwaine's pub.

When he'd finished recounting his version of events, the recording was paused and Merlin turned to see all eyes and varying looks of shock and curiosity directed at him.

"Is it true?" Arthur asked, hurt written all over his face. "I've heard of such gifts but I never thought that you, of all people would ..."

"What I'm interested in is just how you may have used these abilities of yours in the past," Uther asked. "Oh, I would hardly blame you for defending yourself and Mr. Lothian against someone like Cenred, but I was quite interested about your title of 'Saurcerer'. Could it be that it is less an amusing play on words and more an accurate description? Are you indeed a magician who has spent his life cheating in order to win these competitions?"

"I have _not_ cheated!" Merlin shouted, back on his feet once more.

"Come on now," said Arthur. "I know you've used it. You played that trick on me when were were at Cardiff, didn't you? And why would I believe that you haven't used it before - flavouring all those dishes - adding that 'magic touch' you so like to boast about."

"It is _not_ cheating," he insisted.

"So, you admit to having used it in your cooking?" Aredian pushed. "I am sure there are many people that would be most interested to hear _that_ little piece of information."

"It is not cheating to use the gifts I was born with," Merlin continued in a quieter tone.

"How can you say that?" Arthur said, the hurt obvious in his voice.

"You cannot accuse me of that any more than I could accuse you of ... cheating in sport."

"What? What are you on about now, Merlin?"

"What if I was competing against you, Arthur? I could perhaps say that I have an unfair advantage because you have twice as many muscles as me. You could argue that's down to training but, honestly, look at me. No matter how much I exercised, I would never have your build, never mind the bulk of someone like Percival. In that way, you have a natural advantage over so many others, simply because of the genes you were born with. This is no different, it is just a gift, an inherent ability, nothing more."

"Others might not see it that way," Uther suggested, his eyes sparkling.

"So, what? You're so desperate to have Arthur and Morgana stay away from us, you're willing to do all of this, expose all of this, just to split us up?" Merlin asked incredulously.

"I hardly think that's an issue now." Uther asked with a sly smile. "Morgana?"

"What?" she scoffed. "You think that any of this has surprised me?"

"You knew?" Arthur asked in a hurt tone and Merlin groaned as the realised this wasn't going to be as simple as he'd first thought. He quickly played the conversation ahead in his mind and realised that he didn't like its direction at all.

"Yes, of course I knew," she replied haughtily.

"But you didn't feel fit to tell me?"

"There were many reasons why I told Morgana," Merlin tried to explain.

"Such as?" Arthur asked, hurt in his voice.

"How can you be alright with this?" Uther pushed his daughter. "He's lied and cheated and, between him and Tom, has tried to take my son and daughter away from me under false pretences." Merlin took a close look at the man and blinked in surprise. Uther honestly didn't see anything underhand in what he was doing and the young man didn't know whether or not to hate or pity him for his closed mind.

"He's not lied to _me_," Morgana stated haughtily, "and there's a very good reason why he confided his skills to me ..."

"Probably not the best time to confess," Merlin whispered. "Think of Arthur."

"What about me, Merlin?" the blond asked, overhearing. "Are you suggesting keeping _more_ secrets?"

"For once you're correct, Arthur," said Morgana, "and I would apologise, only it was Uther that insisted on keeping this particular secret from you, not me."

"What are you on about, child?"

"The fact that I have magical abilities too. The fact that I've had prophetic dreams and visions for as long as I can remember."

"Nightmares - nothing more," Uther replied very quickly, a hint of panic obvious in his voice.

"Yes, that is what you hoped - what you tried to convince me and everyone else of but, deep down, I think you knew the truth. I suspect that you knew that I had accurately predicted the future when I was a child. Perhaps you even knew I could see the past too."

"What? Father? Please tell me this isn't true ..." Arthur begged.

Merlin was worried. Despite the fact they were easily managing to undermine Uther and Aredian, it was apparently going to be at the expense of Arthur's trust in them. However, there were other things he had to expose now and none of that was going to help mend their relationships in the short term. He could only hope that time would heal these wounds more successfully for them than it had for their parents' generation.

"I made sure that she saw all the best people, made sure that such 'gifts' were stifled as early as possible." Their father was continuing to try to explain his actions.

"Although you didn't manage to stifle them, Uther. I've continued to have regular nightmares ever since, whilst you've just assumed they had disappeared and didn't bother to ask me how I felt. Even worse, during those counselling sessions, I've was made out to be mad or delusional and have suffered years of insomnia as a result," Morgana accused, half pushing herself off her chair as her long supressed anger changed her beautiful face into a mask of hatred. Merlin gently placed a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her and she responded slightly, taking a deep breath and allowing herself to relax back into her chair again.

"I believe we've gone off the points you really wanted to make here," Merlin said then, amused at the surprise the older two men showed at him being the one to bring the other subjects back up again. "I believe much of this has been to discredit Tom in Arthur's eyes so that he not only doubts Gwen, but ends up being happy to follow your plan of taking Kilgaharrah's back from him, bringing it into Camelot's control as you always wanted." Next to him, Morgana gasped, not having made that connection. "However, you're missing a very important fact here - one which Arthur knows only too well." He at last managed to catch his business partner's eyes. "You didn't tell him?"

"No, Merlin. I actually believe in staying loyal to my friends," Arthur accused.

"Although one could argue that you've also been lying to Uther about that too," Morgana countered.

"Arthur?" his father asked.

"Not my secret to tell," the blond said, waving a hand at Merlin.

"Tom is not Mr. Emrys. I am," Merlin stated firmly.

"What?"

"I am the owner of Kilgharrah's. I took over on my father's death. Even in this day and age it's fairly common practice for a son to inherit - I'm surprised it didn't occur to you."

"You?" Merlin tried not to pull a face at the older men's disbelief.

"So, discrediting Tom won't help your cause and neither will revealing my abilities. The most important people in my company know who I am and what I can do, and those that don't know of my gifts trust me enough not to care. Arthur, I am really sorry I kept that one thing from you but, that was the only secret and I did have my reasons for doing so. I would still appreciate your partnership and your assistance in my business and ... your friendship too - if you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"It's not as simple as that," Arthur said yet again and Merlin nodded, seeing his fingers very briefly touch his engagement ring.

"Is this about Gwen meeting with Lancelot the other day?"

"She told you?" Arthur asked accusingly.

"Only when we told her that Lancelot had spoken to us."

"About what?"

"May I?" Merlin asked, holding up his Comp. The two older men exchanged a nervous glance, but he'd already pressed the transfer icon before they could make any excuses. The screen went blank and a clear voice rang out through the speakers."

"_Hello, Morgana, thanks for getting back to me."_

"_You're welcome, Lancelot. I'm here with Merlin, by the way, and I've got you on speaker, is that okay?"_

"You recorded it?" Morgana hissed, her voice half between accusation and admiration. Merlin smirked in reply as Lancelot clearly talked about how Uther and Aredian had tried to persuade him to first split Morgana from Merlin and then Gwen from Arthur.

"Alright then, what about this ..." said Arthur, pointing his own Comp at the screen until a large photograph appeared showing Gwen standing on tip-toes to kiss Lancelot. It was probably just a peck on the cheek, but the angle was such that it looked rather more intimate than that.

"If you honestly believe that you're more of an idiot than I thought, Arthur Pendragon," Morgana scoffed.

"Really not helping," Merlin hissed at her.

"They were both set up," Morgana stated, apparently not at all concerned about her choice of words. "Both were left a message that they assumed was from the other, but is more likely to have been from Aredian." Everyone's eyes turned to the older man, but his reaction was impossible to interpret - his usual half smile still firmly in place. "That photo was obviously deliberately taken from a certain angle to look worse than it is. Rather like this one, in fact." Morgana aimed her own Comp at the screen to reveal yet another photo - this one with Arthur and Vivian in a similar, apparently compromising, position to the one that Gwen and Lancelot had been caught in.

"What?" Arthur shouted. "When did …? But that's not what happened, we certainly didn't ..." He glared at Morgana who gave him a sickly sweet smile in return.

"Precisely," she crowed.

"How did you get that?" her brother asked.

"It was sent to Gwen this morning," Morgana replied.

"A mistake that, Aredian," Merlin said. "I assume it was you that sent it?" The man simply stared him out in that slightly scary way he had - as if still not accepting that he was at fault in any way. "You assumed that Gwen would be too hurt to mention it and that it would help her to break the ties at her end too. However, we guessed something like that was coming and she knew it wasn't quite what it seemed - knew enough about Arthur and Vivian's relationship to understand that she was being manipulated."

"Areidian? Father? You were trying to set me up with Vivian? Again?"

"She is far more suitable for you, Arthur. I urge you to see sense in this matter," Uther insisted.

"Merlin's right, Father. I have no idea what I think about most of these revelations but, I can tell you this for nothing. I have absolutely no feelings about Vivian and I will never marry her, not matter what the outcome of all of this is." He stood up and glared at all of them. "Two days ago I believed I could trust every single person in this room. Now I find that you have all lied to me and that I truly am on my own." He started to walk towards the door. "I can honestly say that I've never felt so betrayed in all my life."

"Arthur?" That was Uther, but it was all Merlin could do not to call out himself. There was nothing he could do about his friend right now because, as always, he had greater responsibilities to worry about and needed to make sure that everyone else he cared about was safe first.

"Mr. Pendragon. Did you mean what you said about turning Cenred over to the authorities for questioning in regard to the death of my father?" Merlin asked once Arthur had left the room.

"Yes," he replied curtly. "That is something we can all agree on. I do not condone his actions in killing someone who was trying to defend a friend."

"Thank you. May I offer you another deal then? If Arthur wishes to remain within my company than I will gladly continue to accept his help and support. If I have lost his friendship over all of this then I am still willing to be his business partner, and I hope you would see the financial and business sense of him staying as part of Kilgharrah's, despite our very different backgrounds."

"I shall discuss that point with him, of course. It is ultimately up to him to decide."

"Since when?" Morgana muttered, receiving a glare from her father.

"So, the deal is this," Merlin continued. "If you, Uther, promise to stay fully out of my affairs, away from everything to do with Kilgahrrah's, I promise not to disclose any of the information we have discussed today."

"That does not seem much of a deal to me," Aredian supplied.

"Really? Because it is my understanding that you have withheld vital information and witnesses regarding a murder from the police, purely for your own selfish ends; in order to acquire my successful business and break up the relationships of your two children. I do not believe that will be looked upon favourably in court and, let me warn you, that my business and legal contacts are easily a match for yours and if I call in every favour I am owned, there will be no way out for you."

"I'm assuming this deal includes our silence on the matter of your magic?" Aredian asked.

"Not as such, but let's just say that I rarely use my full ability ..." He frowned. "Actually, I'm not sure what my full ability is but, perhaps none of us want to put that to the test considering the circumstances?" The two men paled. "That is not exactly a threat," Merlin continued with a slightly sheepish smile. "Rather a reminder that those skills added to my knowledge, friends and business contacts tend to mean that things generally tend to work out as I wish, and I will use ... any means necessary to ensure that Kilgharrah's, my family and my friends are not hurt."

"And Morgana?" Aredian asked.

"Like Arthur, she is her own person and I have no hold over her."

"How can we believe that?" Uther pushed. "When you admit to using your skills to achieve your goals."

"You honestly believe I'm that easy to manipulate, Uther?" Morgana scoffed. "You've tried for years to control me and where did it get you? I have magic of my own, remember? No-one tells me what to do or what to think and my relationship with Merlin and my new business are my own affairs and neither are open to negotiation."

"You probably won't believe me, Uther," Merlin said as they stood up to leave, "but I love both your children too. I also want what's best for them and am prepared to move heaven and earth to ensure they are not hurt." He held a hand out to Morgana and the pair started walking towards the door. "The only way that I differ from you, is that I believe in asking them what _they_ want, before I make any moves in their name."

He walked out of the office with Morgana on his arm, leaving two very confused men staring after them.

XoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Chapter 21: Assisting. <strong>Morgana and Merlin start plotting to get Arthur and Gwen back together whilst Merlin worries about his own relationship.

_**A/N **__Things have been much better recently and, as a result, I should have the whole of this fic published by the end of the year. Check out my PP for the planned titles and summaries for the final few chapters. (although they might change a little after tomorrow's writing) _

_I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your reviews - such lovely comments. Thanks to all of you who are reading and/or alerting I'm so glad you're enjoying this :D  
><em>

_Seeing this is an AU story, it's been interesting how close to canon these character's plot lines have been veering recently - especially Arthur's ... spookily so. It wasn't intentional on my part, but I admit that I am enjoying the co-incidences. _

_**OT/AN** Another M rated Mergana story has been flitting around in my head for a while now – even before I decided to start this fic – and I'm pleased to announce that I've made a serious start to it and plan to share the first chapter of that at the end of this month too. Again, more details in my PP._

_13/12/11_


	21. Assisting

_**Chapter 21: Assisting**_

"Hello?" Merlin picked up his office phone without really registering the number.

"_It's Arthur,"_ came the cool voice on the other end.

"Arthur! You called," Merlin responded happily.

"_Yes, it's just. I thought I'd phone to let you know that I'm going away for a few days."_

"Away? Where?"

"_Just a brief holiday. This has all been rather too much to take and I just need to … get away from it for a bit … think things through."_

"Look, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about my magic, Arthur, it's just … well I didn't know where to start really and … it's something I don't tend to advertise for obvious reasons and ..."

"_Yes, alright, I understand that, and Gwen, and … that whole business with Cenred. I know neither of you are actually to blame it's just … it was a shock, that's all."_

"I understand," Merlin replied, rather worried that Arthur had not used the name 'Guinevere' as he usually did.

"_I just wanted to let you know that I would still like to keep my business interests in Kilgharrah's, no matter what else happens and … well, if that's alright with you, and if you think you can cope with Manchester without me for a week or so?"_

"Of course, take all the time you need. What do I tell Gwen, or have you called her?"

"_I've called. She understands too but ..."_ He paused. _"Morgana won't. Could you tell her for me?" _Merlin heard uncharacteristic fear in his friend's voice and almost laughed out loud at it.

"Of course. I really am sorry, Arthur but … please remember how shocked and upset Gwen is too, won't you?"

"_I suppose. And you?"_

"Oh, I'll survive."

"_I'll phone you again in about a week."_

"Okay, bye then, Arthur."

xoxOxox

"Oh, that is just so typical of my brother. He gets a little bit hurt, acts as if no-one else is suffering but him and then expects us to just pick up the pieces."

"Morgana, that's not entirely fair. I think he understands that the three of us weren't really hiding anything from him but, the shock of finding out just how much Uther's involved well … family means everything to him and that sort of betrayal ...?"

"Well yes; like father, like son."

"Don't say that," Merlin complained. "Arthur is _nothing_ like Uther."

"Sometimes you are just too forgiving for your own good," she responded with a sigh. "Look, I've some work to do upstairs but … it's our night in tonight, isn't it?" She gave him a weak smile and he responded enthusiastically – excited by the prospect.

"Of course. Want do you want to do? Stay in and watch a film?" he asked.

"Yes, that sounds good. Something old fashioned, escapist and … perhaps a bit silly."

"Alright."

Merlin wasn't sure what it was but, ever since the shock of the newspaper article and their incredibly intimate lovemaking session, he had the feeling that Morgana was distancing herself from him a little. Perhaps, as he'd feared, she had started to feel a little cornered within the relationship? In many ways Merlin hoped that was the case and that she wasn't keeping something important from him again or perhaps, even worse, starting to go off him altogether. It was a quiet fear that had been bubbling away for a little while now, all stemming from his own insecurities and disbelief that a woman like Morgana could have ever fallen in love with someone like him in the first place.

Not that anything seemed especially different that evening. They both cuddled up together on the sofa as they watched the film and ended the evening with what was, for them, a far more typically passionate session in bed.

And again, typically, Merlin was woken up by Morgana tossing and turning in her sleep as she dreamt. He put on the side light and watched her for a while, interested to note that she did not seem quite as distressed as she had done in the past. Surely that was a good sign? Hopefully it meant that the worst of their troubles were over for now. There were a few mumbles of 'idiot,' but mostly said with frustration rather than any real rancour. Then a smile, a shake of the head, followed by a small frown before a look of panic started to appear on her face. As the dream didn't seem to be really bad, Merlin worried that she would simply fall back into a deep sleep and, as his senses were telling him that this was a magical vision, he thought that he shouldn't loose the opportunity to find out what it was about.

"Morgana." He gently shook her awake and then silenced her complaints with a gentle kiss, holding her back with a laugh when she got the wrong idea about why he'd woken her. "You were dreaming – you had a vision," he explained. "Will you let me find out more?"

"Oh!" she said, suddenly pulling away from the embrace. "I don't think there's any need. I think ..." She smiled slightly. "I think I remember it for once."

"Good, what was it about?"

"Arthur and Gwen mostly."

"Good news?" he asked. "You didn't seem especially distressed."

"Yes and no … it was … odd." She bit her lip before continuing. "It's like we're at a crossroads and I saw two outcomes; the wedding being cancelled and the wedding going ahead."

"Ah ..."

"I think it's a message that we can't just let things go, Merlin. I think that if we do nothing and just hope Arthur will come around, then he'll think up all sorts of excuses and call it off just because it's the 'easy' thing to do."

"So, what _can_ we do?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm sure we'll think of something."

"What else, Morgana?" Merlin pushed.

"W-what do you mean?" she stammered.

"There's something more."

"No. Not really." He gave her a sceptical look. "Fine!" she said more forcefully. "You don't believe me, Merlin? Why don't you use your magic and read my mind then? Perhaps it's not Arthur that has the trust issues after all, perhaps it's you?"

"Hey, that's not fair."

"Isn't it? I thought we'd been over all of this, Merlin. No more lies, no more hurt? You did say that you trusted me?"

"I do … it's just … I thought then that ..."

"What?"

"I don't know." He sighed. He knew that he was experiencing some genuine magical sense, but he didn't trust it enough to really explore it any further. "No, I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired. Let's try to get back to sleep and tomorrow we can start deciding what we can do to help ensure the wedding goes ahead."

xoxOxox

With Arthur away, Merlin found himself even busier than usual over the next week and he and Morgana had practically no time to spend together at all. On the nights she stayed over she seemed her usual self, although he was now so tired that he felt even more worried that she'd start to go off him - especially after he'd fallen straight asleep one night without making love to her as he knew she'd hoped he would.

The following day they had a chance for a quick talk about her business, with her commenting on how well it was going and asking his permission to start some decorating of the main Penthouse suite so that she could use that larger space for storage, photographing and a waiting area.

"Yes, of course," he agreed, "I'll transfer some more money over to your account if you need it."

"I think I'm fine," she replied, "It just needs some basic painting and clearing - nothing more."

"No, let me help out on that anyway," he insisted, feeling guilty about his recent neglect of her and still desperate to keep her happy in any way that he was able.

"You're doing far too much for me already," she replied, coming over and taking a hand. "You look even more pale than usual and I bet you're not eating properly, are you?"

"I have been skipping a few meals," he admitted with a smile, "but then Mum found out and has been leaving ridiculously large sandwiches on my desk these last couple of days.

"Good." She bit her lip. "Merlin, about this idea of a plan to get Arthur and Gwen back together properly?"

"I'm still not sure what I can do until Arthur gets back," he replied.

"I know and I understand how busy you are at the moment, but Gwen's been feeling very despondent, talking about cancelling everything just so she doesn't let people down if he suddenly decided to break up with her and ..."

"Gwen," Merlin groaned. "I've been neglecting her too."

"Too?"

"I know I haven't been around enough for you recently."

"Never mind me, Merlin, and I've got Gwen covered anyway, that's what I was saying. I'm taking over much of the wedding preparation myself and working to keep her spirits up. Honestly, when Arthur does get home, I am going to give him such a rollicking for usetting her like this."

"Morgana ..."

"Not only that, but if he doesn't agree that he's been a total idiot and that he'll go ahead with the wedding, I'm going to string him up by his balls and ..."

"... Morgana ..." Merlin interrupted more forcefully; half shocked, half amused by her outburst. "… why don't you let me deal with Arthur when he gets back?"

"Because?" she asked in a slightly threatening tone.

"Because I'm fairly certain Gwen would like to have Arthur fully intact on their wedding night?" She laughed then and came over to give him a gentle kiss.

"Try not to work too hard," she said gently, "and make sure you eat something more than a sandwich today."

"Yes boss," he replied.

"Now, I _definitely_ like the sound of that," she said. "I'm glad you know the truth of the matter."

xoxOxox

Merlin was on his way to Gwaine's for their usual meeting later that day, before realising that he hadn't even managed to eat a sandwich, let alone anything else, and now he had three women ready to nag him about his diet when he got back home. As he walked into the main bar of The Green Knight, he suddenly heard familiar laughter and his heart gave an unpleasant jolt as he saw the Irishman with Morgana, the pair sitting quite close and obviously sharing some private joke. He fought with a rare feeling of jealousy and was just wondered whether to make his presence known, when his magic made the decision for him, knocking over a nearby bar stool.

"Merlin!" Morgana jumped up in surprise, hastily putting some papers in her bag and looking worryingly guilty as she did so.

"Morgana, Gwaine," he acknowledged them coldly.

"Merlin, mate, I wasn't expecting you yet," said Gwaine calmly. "I got a message to say you were running late."

"A problem came up but ... it resolved itself surprisingly quickly as it turned out. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything?" He knew that he was not managing to hide his emotions especially well.

"Nothing at all, mate," Gwaine breezed, whilst Morgana continued to shift a little uneasily. "Your lady here needed some contact information and, seeing that you're rather snowed under at the moment, she though she'd come direct to the source rather than bother you."

"Y-you don't mind, do you?" Morgana asked nervously. "You always said that I was welcome to use any of your business contacts?" Merlin bit back a sarcastic response about it depending on what she intended to use this particular contact for, and instead attempted a relaxed smile.

"No, of course not. As I said earlier, I'm glad everything's going so well."

"Isn't it, though?" said Gwaine lightly. "She's already in such demand."

"Yes," he responded through gritted teeth. "As I knew she would be. Ah, sorry but, as you said, I am in a bit of a hurry here."

"Of course, we're all finished now, anyway." Morgana came up to him and kissed him gently on the cheek before leaving. Merlin turned to Gwaine with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were looking a bit jealous there, mate," Gwaine quipped.

"Ridiculous, why would I be?"

"Absolutely no idea," he continued. "You know that I make a point of never trespassing on a friend's territory and I honestly wouldn't stand a chance in this case, even if I tried."

"Right ...?"

"You know, for such a bright lad, you can be extremely dense sometimes," Gwaine said with a shake of the head. "Come, pull up a chair and let's get down to business – I've got quite a few things here I need to share with you."

xoxOxox

"Sorry I've not been around to talk much," Merlin apologised to Gwen a couple of days later.

"Don't be silly," she replied. "I know you've been up to you eyes in it."

"How are you?"

"Okay. I'm not sure how I would have got through all of this without Morgana though. She's been such a help and such a laugh, constantly reassuring me that Arthur will come around and taking over most of the wedding planning from me, even though I thought I should put it all on hold."

Merlin fought with another wave of emotion. Was he actually jealous of his best friend spending time with Morgana? Or was it more the case that the two girls were now there for each other when he was not able to, and he was feeling a little left out. He shook his head at both thoughts and his friend's last comment.

"No, she's right, even when he was at his most angry and confused, Arthur was still wearing the ring so I'm sure he'll come around." He looked up at her with a far more relaxed grin. "And I'm sure Morgana's told you what she's planning to do to him if he doesn't?"

"She really does come out with the most outrageous things sometimes, doesn't she?" Gwen responded with an embarrassed laugh. "Although I'm fairly certain she's joking in this case."

"Hmm … Personally I wouldn't want to take the chance. I just hope that I'm not the next in line."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know, Gwen, it's just … something has changed between the two of us and … it scares me."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do either, it's just … I can't help thinking she's keeping things from me again, or that she's putting distance between us. Then, with all this extra work and worry recently, I'm nervous that she doesn't feel the same way about me any more and ..."

"Hey, stop that," Gwen ordered. "Morgana's still adores you. Honestly, it's 'Merlin this' and 'Merlin that' whenever she and I are talking. Of course she would like to be spending more time with you at the moment but, she understands why that can't be. Honestly, she blames Arthur rather than you."

"I don't think this has anything to do with him or this situation – I think that she's feeling trapped and I think that was my fault. It's just ... I came on a little too strong one night recently and ..."

"Merlin ..." Gwen came forward and took both of his hands in hers. "Relax. You're fine. Look, I just got a message from Arthur and he says he's coming home this weekend. No matter what happens between him and me, his return will take some of the workload off your shoulders and then you can spend more time with Morgana, yes?"

"Good, good. I'm glad he's coming back," he gave her a more genuine smile, "and I'm pleased he's still been keeping in touch with you. I'm sorry, I'm being selfish, this is all about you and Arthur and the wedding, and you've got enough on your plate without listening to my silly insecurities."

"Well, they _are_ silly insecurities," Gwen agreed with a laugh, "but don't think for a moment that you shouldn't be talking to me about them. What else are friends for?"

"Of course, thank you."

"You have to talk to her, Merlin," Gwen said as he made to leave the room. "These things can snowball out of your control if you leave them unspoken."

"Yes, I know."

"Take her out on your next free evening, talk to her, tell her how you feel."

"Yes, I will, I promise."

xoxOxox

However, on their next date, their conversation simply revolved around the wedding and their business issues, and Merlin never did get a chance to discuss his concerns whilst they were out. When they got back to his flat he tried again but Morgana had other ideas.

"So, are you very tired tonight?" she asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"A little," he asked, still thinking about what he needed to say and how on earth he was going to start.

"How tired?" she continued, coming closer and wrapping her arms around his waist, gently squeezing his bottom and pushing his hips up against hers.

"Oh ..." he said with a sudden smile. "Not really _that_ tired, now you mention it."

"Good."

"So, now is not a good time for a talk?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Definitely no talking allowed," she confirmed, wriggling her hips a little. "Moaning and gasping are quite acceptable. Screaming out my name is also allowed. Talking … no!"

xoxOxox

Merlin stood back to admire his handy work and couldn't help the sly grin that crossed his face as he looked around the sitting room. Arthur was due back today and he and Morgana had been working hard to ensure that he would quite literally fall into Gwen's arms without a second thought.

At that moment, the main door opened and he turned a little nervously, his smile only getting bigger when he realised it was Morgana standing there and not Gwen.

"Well?" he asked her, waving an arm to indicate the room.

"Very impressive," she replied taking in the numerous candles, delicately strung fairy lights and coloured gauze that Merlin had suspended from the ceiling – with just a little help from his magic. "Why do I never get this sort of attention?" she continued with a sparkle in her eye. Despite seeing it, and knowing she was joking, Merlin couldn't help panicked slightly as he wondered if he should have put a little more of his effort and energy into his own relationship.

"I-I can if you want me too … should I have? I just thought this would be a bit much for you and so ..."

"Relax, Merlin, I'm teasing you. Yes, it's all way over the top – far too cheesy, romantic and sentimental for sensible people like you and me ..." She grinned again, leaving the rest of the sentence dangling temptingly.

"... so, just perfect for Arthur and Gwen," he finished smugly.

"Absolutely." She turned her attention to the small dining table Merlin had set up in the middle of the room. "Do I dare ask what food and drink you've prepared for them?"

"Probably best not to know," he replied with a slight wince.

"Yes, that's what I thought. What about next door?"

"I've set that up too – bedroom and bathroom - all with candles and soft lights but, what about Gwen? She's going to want to change before meeting Arthur and she'll never forgive us if she's just wearing her work clothes."

"Are you sure about that, Merlin?" Morgana asked him with a highly suggestive smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"You do realise that it was that waitress outfit as much as Gwen herself that got Arthur and Lancelot's attention that very first night?"

"Really? They're not that revealing, are they?"

"Not as such, just very well designed and very … appealing." She smirked again. "As are the male outfits as it happens."

"Oh ..." Merlin eyes widened for a minute before he suddenly grinned back at her. "You should have said something before. I'm sure I can conveniently 'forget' to change one evening too ... if you like?"

"I look forward to it," she hummed appreciatively, coming over to give him a short but tempting kiss, "but now we need to synchronise our Comps. It's time for Operation Arwen."

"Sorry? What?"

"Arthur and Gwen ... Arwen."

"That really is very silly, you know."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 22: Priming.<strong> First it's Operation Arwen, and then Merlin invites his friends to the usual New Year's Eve party at Kilgharrah's, but he's still convinced that Morgana's keeping something important from him.

_**A/N **Well, guys, it's all going really well. The fic is now mostly typed (just need to pad out the last couple of chapters) and the new story is coming on nicely too. My bad cold has meant I've had to rest in the warm and that has really helped with the writing. In fact, I'm now planning an increase in update pace again. _

_Keep an eye on my PP for the latest info on publishing dates for this and my new fic._

_16/12/11_


	22. Priming

**Chapter 22: Priming**

Merlin and Morgana had been frantically planning this set-up for a few days now. Arthur was assuming that Gwen would be meeting him at the station today, but she had been told that his train was arriving ninety minutes later that it actually was, and would have plenty of time to finish her lunch shift before picking him up. The couple were determined to set their friends up in such a way that Arthur could not deny his feelings for Gwen, and they knew that the pair meeting awkwardly on a station platform was not the best way to accomplish their goal.

"Where's Guinevere?" Arthur asked the second he stepped off the train. Merlin grinned broadly on hearing his friend now using her full name, something he had not done during their previous conversations. It was a definitely a good sign.

"She's working," he replied.

"You couldn't have given her the time off?"

"Not really, things have been a bit hectic since a certain blond haired prat decided to go off and leave us all in the lurch."

"Hey, you were the one that said it was okay." Arthur looked genuinely guilty.

"Yeah, don't mind me, I'm just tired. It hasn't been quite as easy as I'd thought," Merlin admitted.

"Well, I'm back now and keen to start work again."

"Good. What about Gwen?"

"We need to talk about … everything, I suppose but ..." He sighed, obviously still confused despite his time away.

"I'm sure it will all be fine, Arthur. Look, let's get back to the restaurant and I can fill you in with all the news."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Thank you."

They arrived back at Kilgharrah's with Merlin keeping up a constant stream of work related conversation to keep Arthur both distracted and slightly zoned out, so that he'd go along with Merlin's plan without really thinking about what he was doing. He was quite prepared to use a little magic if necessary, but Arthur followed Merlin up the stairs to his flat without question, although he did look a little confused when he realised where they'd ended up.

"Oh, sorry, I just needed to pick this up from my desk," Merlin lied, grabbing a few of his origami decorations, "but we can go back down to the office now." He grinned at Arthur, trying to waste a little time and was relieved when a loud beep clearly sounded, right on cue.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

Merlin feigned surprise and took his Comp out of his back pocket. "Oh, bother, I almost forgot. Sorry, Arthur, do you mind just waiting for me next door? This shouldn't take too long and Gwen should be finishing her shift around about now anyway."

"Ah … yes, I suppose but ..."

"Thanks, I won't be a minute, but this is pretty important," Merlin continued, now taking Arthur by the shoulders and pushing him towards the door that opened up onto the shared living room. If their timing was correct, Morgana and Gwen would now be in the hallway discovering that Gwen's apartment door was inexplicably locked, and deciding that she would have to use the sitting room door to gain access to her flat. As Arthur walked through his door, Merlin closed and locked it behind him, before resting his ear against it, using his little magic to help him hear what was going on.

"What the …?" Arthur's vocal surprise at seeing the exotic decorations in the room needed no spell to enhance it and Merlin tried hard not to laugh at his reaction. He then heard the faint click of the main door, followed by Arthur's sudden, rather breathy, "Guinevere," and literally had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud in delight at their perfect timing.

A moment later he heard his own door open and close and shuddered slightly as Morgana's body pressed up against his back and her arms wrapped themselves around his waist.

"How's it going?" she whispered in his ear.

"Ssh," he replied.

"Arthur? What are you doing here? I was just going to change before meeting you at the station," Gwen said.

"What? No, I got in an hour ago."

"I-I don't understand?"

"I'm not sure I do either."

"... I really was planning to change," Gwen flustered, "I'm sorry that I'm still in work stuff but it's ..."

"Guinevere ..."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. You look … wonderful." The emotion that Arthur managed to put in that last work was enough to make Merlin blush.

"Told you so," Morgana whispered smugly in his ear.

"What's all of this?" Gwen asked then.

"This wasn't you?"

"No, I've been working all lunch time." There was a long pause. "Merlin," Gwen said with a groan.

"With help from Morgana, no doubt," Arthur agreed.

"Looks like we've been rumbled," Morgana whispered in his ear.

"Doesn't matter now, the trap is almost fully sprung," Merlin replied with a smirk.

"Well, if Merlin's the one to have prepared this table, then I suppose I'm not going to complain," Arthur said, "It does look rather good."

"Yes, but ..." Gwen paused and Merlin held his breath, knowing that she would suspect that the food might just be laced with something magical, and willing her to play along. " Never mind. It does look delicious, doesn't it?" she finished eventually.

"Yes, I admit that I really am very hungry." Arthur agreed and Merlin could hear the quiet scrape of the chairs as the pair obviously sat down to start eating.

Merlin moved away from the door with a satisfied nod. "Good," he said quietly, pulling Morgana away with him, "hopefully that's sorted and all we have to do now is just wait and let nature take it's course."

"So, they're locked in now?" Morgana asked.

"Yup. They can access Gwen's flat from where they are, but can't escape out into the corridor or through into here. I've also put a bit of magic on the windows and fire escapes too." He gave a sheepish grin. "I'd better not get too distracted, what with all those candles I left around the place - need to make sure they can get out in an emergency."

"But, other than that, they're stuck in there until my brother remembers exactly why he fell in love with her in the first place?"

"And Gwen stops this, 'It's probably for the best – I'm sure Arthur can find someone better than me,' nonsense," Merlin quoted and Morgana giggled at his rather poor impersonation of his best friend.

"How long do you think that will take?" Morgana asked as they left Merlin's flat and headed back downstairs.

"Knowing that pair, they could be up there some time," Merlin said seriously, his eyes sparkling with suppressed amusement.

"What a shame," Morgana smirked.

xoxOxox

"Three days!" Arthur exclaimed. "I still can't believe that you locked us in for three days."

"And two nights," Morgana added slyly. "I'm quite certain that you haven't forgotten about the two nights."

"Shut up, Morgana."

"What, are you complaining?" Merlin asked with a grin.

"I'm certainly not," Gwen added shyly.

"Well, I suppose it did all work in the end and I suppose that we do perhaps have you two to thank … at least in part."

"Always _so_ gracious," Morgana replied as she and Arthur exchanged mock grins.

"Well, it's good that we can get back on with the wedding preparations in earnest," Arthur continued. "Although it seems that Morgana was carrying on with that in my absence just as if nothing had happened at all."

"Nothing _had_ happened, Arthur," she countered. "Other than you and Uther both competing for The Biggest Prat of 2063 Award."

"Anyway ..." Gwen interrupted with a laugh. "Before that, we've got the whole winter party season to focus on. Have you got the invitations ready, Merlin?"

"Invitations?" Morgana asked.

"To the annual 'Kilgharrah's New Year's Eve Party Spectacular'," Merlin said proudly handing full envelopes to her and Arthur.

"To Arthur and ... up to three guests?" he read in a surprised voice.

"That's right. Just let me know if it's not enough - we're pretty laid back about numbers really, the more the merrier," Merlin replied.

"It's fancy dress?" Morgana asked, as she read the invitation more carefully.

"Honestly, Merlin," Arthur said with a shake of the head. "You really _are_ still ten, aren't you?"

"What? The 'Knights and Dragons' theme is traditional here but that means anything Medieval, historical or fantastical. I certainly don't want everyone coming as Saint George."

"As if," Arthur scoffed. "We could invite our cousins, Morgana. I'm sure they said they were planning to stay for a while after Christmas so they could see the London sights."

"Of course," Merlin agreed, "and you should invite Leon and any others of your friends we haven't met yet. It would be nice to get to know everyone important before the wedding itself."

"Do we _really_ have to dress up?" Arthur complained.

"Yup, it's compulsory, I'm afraid," Merlin replied with a grin seeing the look of horror on the young man's face. "Why don't you think of it as a competition, Arthur? I'm sure you can come up with … something."

**31st December 2063**

The New Year party held at Kilgharrah's was a tradition that stemmed from the Scottish side of Hunith's family and the restaurant was closed for the whole day in order for everything to be prepared to Merlin's exacting standards.

"Not that I'm complaining," Morgana asked as she helped Merlin with some of the final preparations, "but wouldn't you get quite a bit of business from a New Year's Eve if you stayed open to the public tonight?"

"I suppose we would," he admitted with a shrug, "but this particular celebration has always been so important to my mother that it was never even questioned - just like many wouldn't hesitate about closing on Christmas Day."

"So, how many do you reckon will turn up?"

"No idea, actually," he said with a sheepish grin. "I think I wrote about a hundred invitations, and each of those had the option to bring at least three other people."

"You mean there could be four hundred guests?"

"It's possible, but that's fine. It's not as if we haven't got the space, after all - some of it will move up to the casino bar, I expect. It's always a huge affair."

"Well, I suppose I'd better go upstairs and get changed," she said looking at the time. "I've picked out a dress especially for you." She turned a sly grin towards him. "I'm hoping you'll be suitably impressed."

Merlin swallowed hard at the thought. "Well, I look forward to it, but you know that you always look good, whatever you wear."

"Exactly the right thing to say," she laughed, coming over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Although I think when you see this, you'll be glad I'm not wearing jeans and a tee shirt, all the same." She gave him a very seductive wink and then left leaving Merlin's heart beating suddenly faster. He spent a little longer, checking that everything was in order, before heading upstairs to change himself.

"Are you really going to abandon your usual outfit tonight, Gwen?" He asked as he entered their shared sitting room to find his best friend wrapped only in a couple of towels and making a cup of coffee.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Merlin, but Arthur was quite stubborn about it," Gwen replied with a small, embarrassed smile.

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"There was plenty of chance for you to choose something else too," she reminded him.

"I suppose but ..." He put a hand on his chest in an over-dramatic gesture. "... just make sure that you don't forget us little people on your way up the social ladder."

"Merlin, one of these days you're going to have to acknowledge just how important you are here. You can't stay hidden in the background forever, you know?"

"I suppose not, but I'm still not in any hurry to announce my position to the world. Well, I'd better shower and get dressed then – you know that it's going to take me ages to change into my outfit?"

Gwen laughed loudly at his joke.

xoxOxox

Merlin made sure that he was one of the first downstairs, just so that he could be certain that everything was prepared to his satisfaction. Traditionally, he and his parents had always invited their guests to be as outrageous as possible in their choice of costumes, whilst they had always opted to dress simply as peasants. Merlin had now developed his own unique style; brown boots, trousers and jacket with a blue shirt and red neckerchief - or sometimes, if he was feeling especially adventurous a red shirt and blue neckerchief. Most people who saw him just shook their head affectionately as had strode past confidently, whilst he just grinned back – suddenly realising he hadn't felt this relaxed and carefree in a very long time.

"You're not wearing that outfit _again_ are you, Merlin?" Elyan exclaimed as he approached.

"Of course, I've always been more comfortable dressing as a peasant." He frowned on seeing Elyan sporting a very different look to previous years; chain mail over a dark red tunic and a bright red cloak with a gold dragon emblazoned on it. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"Arthur's idea," he said with a grin. "He wanted those of us that are going to be his wedding ushers dressed like this. Good, isn't it?" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I think he's convinced that he's King Arthur reincarnated … I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to adopt all of this as a themed wedding in March too."

"Oh God, I hope not," said Merlin, quietly worrying that his hypnosis from Cardiff was still in effect. "I dread to think what he would make me wear."

"Something with silver stars and a tall, pointed hat perhaps?"

"Quite probably," Merlin replied, pulling a face.

"How come he didn't rope you in to be one of his knights?" Elyan asked.

"He probably knew better than to try," Merlin scoffed. "Anyway, I'd look ridiculous in that get-up."

"Oh, I don't know, I think it might suit you."

"... and I have to dash around so much tonight that it's just easier to be comfortable."

"Arthur didn't get around to promoting you then?" Gwaine quipped as he strode in, also wearing a Knight's outfit.

"No, thank goodness." Merlin looked at him quizzically. "I thought you said you weren't going to be an usher."

"I told him that it was an honour best left to his closest friends, but then he mentioned this outfit for tonight and I thought it might be worth trying it on. I think it looks rather good on me, don't you?"

"So, are you going to usher in March, after all?" Elyan asked.

"Perhaps. I've not decided yet." Gwaine frowned as if contemplating the decision. "It could be possible that Arthur is not quite such a prat as I first though." Merlin instantly burst out laughing at the comment.

The main restaurant space had been cleared of tables and was now rapidly filling up with guests dressed as Knights, Lords and Ladies, peasants, pixies, goblins and numerous familiar characters from books and screen alike. Merlin grinned delightedly as he observed the happy crowd, trying to talk to as many people as possible and ensure they all had a drink and were enjoying themselves.

Will, who had also chosen to stick to 'family' tradition and dress as a peasant, was the first one to notice Morgana's entrance, his eyes suddenly widening as he looked over Merlin's shoulder.

"God, you're a lucky man," he croaked out, and Merlin turned around to see Morgana approaching slowly, her hands clasped in front of her, apparently enjoying the fact that the people on either side of her had actually stopping their conversation to turn and stare at her wide-eyed.

She was wearing a burgundy halter-neck dress, attached around her neck by a thick, gold choker. The light, silky material seemed to gently caress her body as she walked forward, her hair held lightly back with a small beaded band across her forehead and she wore a small, tear shaped gem, just under her right eye. Merlin's jaw dropped even lower than Will's as she reached them, arching an elegant eyebrow as she noted the stunned expression on his face.

"I take it you like it then?"

"Wow!"

"It's such a shame that you're obviously so far beneath me," she said with a sad shake of her head. "It looks like I'm going to have to consort with some Lords and Knights tonight instead."

"I suppose so," Merlin replied, catching the wicked glint in her eye, "but I think that those noble types would bore a Lady like you and perhaps you might have to send for me later to see if there are any … services ... I might be able to provide for you."

"God, will you two just get a room already," said Will, shaking his head as he left them to it.

"That certainly is a … unique look," Morgana commented.

"It's my signature outfit," Merlin said proudly.

"And who are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"Just Merlin," he replied with a shrug. "It's nice to keep a low profile."

"Well, it's a bit of a surprise, I must admit," she said eyeing him critically, "but I do believe it's starting to grow on me."

"Especially if I keep to my role?" he teased, bowing deeply to her. "Is there anything my Lady desires?" he asked in a respectful voice, looking up at her cheekily as he did so.

"God, Merlin … don't do that," she whispered breathlessly. "At least … not until later." Merlin felt his own heart pound as he caught her eye and grinned.

"As my lady commands."

Morgana's grin soon faded as she looked up over his shoulder and shook her head sadly.

"Of why does my darling brother always have to try and outdo me?" she said looking over to the main door with a sad shake of the head. "Not that he stood any chance on his own, of course, so he decides on this whole King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and his Knights theme. Honestly, how arrogant can you get?"

Merlin turned around to see Arthur striding in - not wearing armour, but an elegant medieval style shirt and trousers with a long jacket, impressive medallion and, of course, an elegant golden crown. On his arm was Gwen in the most amazing purple gown with full skirt and beautiful embroidery, her long black hair was partially tied back and elaborately decorated and she too also wore a crown.

"Wow!" said Merlin as he took in the sight.

"Hmm," Morgana responded, "Have I been outdone, do you think?"

"Ah, no, of course not," Merlin replied, flushing slightly, "but, you know … King Arthur and Queen Guinevere?" Morgana shook her head in mock frustration and fixed the pair a cool glance as they came closer. Merlin decided to play along and, as before, bowed deeply. "Your Majesties," he intoned.

"Now, I could get used to that reaction from you," said Arthur smugly. "Ah, why are you wearing that outfit?"

"I always wear this," he replied in his usual mock hurt tone.

"Right …?" Arthur said, giving Gwen a confused look.

"Don't ask ..." she responded with a small laugh.

"Oh, these are our guests," Arthur continued, stepping aside to reveal and young man and woman, both dressed in regal, medieval outfits. "Our cousins, Torre and Elaine Astolat. This is my friend and business partner, Merlin Wyltt."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Elaine, who seemed to Merlin to only be in her late teens, "Morgana's said so many nice things about you and …" She gave her cousin a cheeky grin. "I think Arthur might like you too – despite all his comments to the contrary."

"Don't mind my sister's lack of manners," said Torre, holding a hand out to shake. "Thank you for inviting us to your party. It really is very impressive."

"Thank you," Merlin replied.

"Ah, good," Arthur crowed. "Here are all my Knights of the Round Table." Merlin looked up to find Elyan, Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival and one other tall man who's identity Merlin quickly guessed from Arthur's earlier 'lion' description.

"This is Leon, Merlin. He's to be my best man."

"Of course. I've been really looking forward to meeting you," Merlin said with a broad grin at the man who was a good few centimetres taller than him.

"I've heard many things about you too," he replied holding out a hand to shake.

"Oh dear," Merlin quipped with a grin at Arthur.

"All good," Leon hastily added. "This is a very impressive party, by the way."

"Thank you," Merlin responded as Arthur continued to make the rest of the introductions to his cousins.

"Aren't you a few knights short, Arthur?" Torre asked with a grin, whilst Merlin's attention was gained by a less than subtle nudge from Morgana. She nodded her head towards Elaine with a wicked sparkle in her eyes and Merlin followed the young lady's gaze to find her staring with wide eyed adoration at Lancelot and he grinned, guessing her thought.

"I think we might have another mission to accomplish," Morgana whispered in his ear.

"What a good idea," Merlin agreed with a laugh.

XoxOxox

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may have you attention?" Merlin announced to the whole party. "It's almost midnight so, please make sure you have something in your glass so that we can welcome in the new year together. Can I just take this opportunity to say thank you to my family and friends and to all of my business friends too. Thank you for making this year so memorable." He turned his gaze quite deliberately to Morgana as he said this last sentence and she smiled back at him.

"Here we go ..." said Hunith, turning the volume up on the large media screen that was now showing one of the New Year Broadcasts and the usual shot of Big Ben.

"Three, two, one … Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all have a happy and successful 2064."

"I certainly intend to," Morgana mumbled next to him. "Now kiss me, serving boy."

"Whatever you command, my Lady Morgana."

**February 2064**

The whole of February was a whirlwind of excitement and panic as the final arrangements were made for Arthur and Gwen's much anticipated wedding.

"So, how are you feeling this morning?" Merlin asked his best friend as he joined her for breakfast the day before her wedding.

"Nervous ... excited." She gave a half hearted smile. "After everything we've been through, I just can't believe it's actually going to happen."

"Well, it is," Merlin responded confidently. "You are Arthur are going to be married tomorrow even if I have to use magic to get you both there."

"Oh, honestly," she laughed. She looked at him a little more closely. "How are things between you and Morgana? Have you talked to her about your concerns yet?"

"Ah not really," he admitted. "It just never seems to be the right time. I'm sure you're correct, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid and ... well, to be honest, we've both been focusing so much on your wedding ..." He sighed. "I think it's best to concentrate on that for now."

"You've both done so much for us," Gwen admitted, "but you must make sure you find some time on Sunday to sit down and talk it all out properly."

"Yes, of course," he replied and Gwen glared at him.

"Do you promise me, Merlin?"

"Yes, Gwen," he said with a sigh. "I promise."

"Good, now, I've a few more things to organise before the lunch shift so, if you'll excuse me."

"I meant what I said earlier, you know. You're welcome to have today off if you want?"

"No, that's fine. We'll be short staffed enough tomorrow as it is. Oh, I almost forgot," said continued, walking towards the counter with her empty mug. "There's a package here for you – I left it on the coffee table." Merlin looked at the large envelope and frowned as he recognised the handwriting - his insecurities quickly resurfacing.

"Why has Morgana left me this?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Something to do with tomorrow, I expect," his friend replied.

"No, but ... What if it's ... I mean ..."

"I really do have to go now," said Gwen and then sighed as she saw him just staring at the very full, A4 envelope. "You won't find out what it is by just looking at it, you know?"

Merlin nodded and decided she was right and that there was no way this could be as bad as he was imagining. After all, it was far too big to be a 'Dear John' letter and someone like Morgana would have no qualms about breaking up with him face to face anyway. As Gwen said, it must be something to do with her wedding and yet ... his magical intuition was telling him that this was personal somehow, and that one thought was making him very, very nervous.

With a deep sigh he grabbed the end and quickly ripped it open.

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time – Chapter 23: <strong>Gwen and Arthur's wedding is imminent, but Merlin is more concerned about the large envelope he's just received from Morgana.

_**A/N:** Is that a bit of a mean cliffie? I'm afraid that I even re-jigged these last few chapters several times just to ensure I could end it here. _

_Btw, you know that I never actually ask for them but, just so you know, the 200th reviewer gets a reward! Thank you so much everyone, I admit that I didn't expect this one to get quite so much attention._

_**Shameless Promo:** Chapter 1 of 'An Unexpected Job' is out now! (Yes, I changed the title). Please look for it on my PP story list, put it on alert, or ensure your Archive Page is set up to show M rated stories so that you don't miss it. More Mergana ahead!_

_19/12/11  
><em>


	23. Surprising

**Chapter 23: Surprising**

Merlin nervously opened the large white envelope to find a smaller brown envelope inside, along with a number of letters and papers, one of which promptly fell onto the floor. He quickly moved to sit on the large sofa of his shared sitting room, hastily putting the bundle on his lap, and opened the first letter he came across to find that it was indeed a wedding notice as Gwen had suspected - confirmation of a hotel booking. Not bothering to read it properly he threw that to one side and opened a second letter but, this time, his eyes were drawn to his own name clearly printed near the top.

_Dear Merlin and Morgana, thank you for booking your marriage with us. We are pleased to enclose the details that you asked for and ..._

"Huh?" Merlin blinked, turned the paper over and then read it again, checking the names carefully. This must be a printing error. Surely, it should have read 'Arthur and Gwen'?

He then read the first letter more carefully to find that it was also addressed to him and Morgana and, throwing that on the floor in confusion, unfolded a third piece of paper to find a handwritten list of wedding guests which clearly had Hunith listed on the groom's side.

"What?" Now thoroughly confused and a little frantic, Merlin opened the medium brown envelope contained within the larger one to find a very official looking document headed 'Prenuptial Agreement' which was clearly signed by Morgana, Gwaine and Hunith. "What?" he muttered again, trying to get to grips with what he was seeing.

"Well?" Morgana's voice made him jump and he turned to see her leaning casually against the main sitting room door and eyeing him with an amused expression on her face. Merlin looked around him to note that the various papers were now strewn all over the coffee table, sofa and floor and he was sitting right in the middle of this confused muddle.

"What ... what is all of this?" he squeaked.

"What's the date, Merlin?" Morgana purred.

"The day before Gwen and Arthur's wedding, the twenty-eighth ... I mean the twenty-ninth of February, but I don't see what that's got to do with ..." Then it hit him and his eyes widened in shock. "Oh!"

Morgana came over to him and shook her head. "Honestly, what a mess," she complained with a smile, kneeling down to pick up the pieces of paper on the floor. "Here ..." She offered him one of the letters that he'd discarded but, as he went to take it, she took hold of his hands instead, still kneeling.

"Morgana ..."

"As it's a leap year, it's traditional for the woman to ask the man and so ..." She took a deep breath. "Will you marry me, Merlin?"

"But ..."

"What?" she asked gently, an amused smile still on her lips.

"All of this ... you signed ..." He waved the letter he was still holding.

"Gwaine explained how nervous you were about bringing up the whole prenuptial thing with me and so I decided to take the dilemma out of your hands completely. You should check it over first, of course, and we can then discuss any changes you want to make, but we're pretty confident it covers the essentials."

"But ... I wasn't going to ask you ... not something like that, I mean ..."

"I know you weren't, and now you don't have to," she responded calmly.

"But, all these letters ..." he continued waving his hand at the mess. "You've arranged the whole thing? Already?"

"Pretty much," she replied. "Well, I thought, whilst I was helping Gwen, I might as well get ours booked too. Although, nothing's official yet, we still have to give notice of marriage together so, if you'd rather we cancel or postpone it ..?"

"No! I mean ... I didn't say t-that," he stammered. "It's just ..."

"Only you haven't actually given me an answer, you know, and I am beginning to get a little uncomfortable here." She was still down on one knee, holding his hand and looking up at him in a typical proposition pose. Merlin swallowed hard as he the situation fully dawned on him.

"Oh ..." he managed at last and she raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Yes, of course I'll marry you, Morgana, I ..."

Right at that moment the door swung back open and Gwen walked back in, looking a little flustered. "Merlin, have you seen my ... oh, hello, Morgana." She stopped and stared, looking confused at their unusual position. "Ah, am I interrupting something?"

"Yes, actually," said Morgana standing up and smiling at the rather bemused expression that was still on Merlin's face, "but I'm sure neither of us mind that. I assume Gwen's the first person you'd want to know about this anyway, Merlin?"

"The first? But ...?" he waved the prenuptial agreement at her. "Gwaine and Mum ..."

"Oh, they didn't know what I was planning," she explained. "Not exactly. I just said that I'd discuss the form with them and get it all signed, so that when it was next brought up in conversation, you'd have nothing to complain about."

"Sorry, what am I missing here?" Gwen asked.

"It's the Twenty-Ninth of February," Morgana announced.

"Yes, I know ..." Gwen then also froze, before letting out the most deafening squeal of excitement. "Oh, Morgana, you didn't? You just proposed to him?"

"Yes, and Merlin has just accepted," she replied with an answering grin of her own.

"Well, of _course_ he has," Gwen responded, running up to them and somehow managing to pull them both into a hug, despite her smaller stature. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, but perhaps I should actually be hugging my fiancée first?" Merlin said with a grin - the shock now starting to wear off.

"Oh, but of course," she said, pulling away and pushing the pair together just as enthusiastically.

"I should be quite cross with you for that," Merlin said to Morgana, gently placing on hand on her cheek and kissing her romantically.

"But, you're not really?" she guessed.

"No, of course not."

"Oh, but this is such wonderful timing," Gwen enthused. "We must announce it tomorrow."

"What? No, Gwen, we wouldn't want to take anything away from your special day," Merlin complained.

"Nonsense, I'll talk to Arthur. After everything you two have done for us, it's the least we can do. Without you, our wedding probably wouldn't have happened anyway."

"Thank you, Gwen," Morgana responded with a large smile.

"Now, I'd better get on and leave Merlin to tell you off properly."

"Why would he want to do that?" Morgana asked, slightly wide-eyed as she turned to Merlin.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied as Gwen left them with a suggestive wink. "Something about you promising _not to keep any more secrets from me?_"

"This is completely different," she replied haughtily. "What would be the fun if I couldn't keep some nice surprises from you occasionally?"

"Hmm, I suppose," he conceded.

"So, are you going to spank me?" she asked pouting, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"I think it's the least you deserve," he replied with a wicked smile. "Why don't you come next door then and I'll punish you properly."

xoxOxox

However, the second they entered his bedroom, Merlin simply pushed Morgana up against a wall and kissed her passionately. They were going to get married, he mused as she wrapped her arms around his neck and slid a leg up his hip – he could hardly believe it was true. At least now he knew what the secret she'd been keeping from him was.

"If this is your definition of punishment, I'm certainly not complaining," Morgana gasped as he eventually released her lips in order to kiss her neck instead.

"Good point," Merlin mumbled. He took her over to his bed, sat down on the side and pulled her towards him. "I think I'm just going to have to take you over my knee and spank you as promised, my girl."

"I probably deserve nothing less," she responded and then, to Merlin's total shock, she quickly unbuttoned her jeans, pulled them and her underwear down in one quick movement and lay herself over his lap, revealing … well, just about everything.

"Morgana … Merlin gasped … I didn't mean ..." He licked his lips and gently stroked, rather than smacked, her bare backside.

"What?"

"I'm not sure I'm quite into … this sort of thing."

"That's not the impression I got on New Year's Eve when you were my very willing servant and let me tie you up and ..."

"Ah … I was a bit drunk then," he admitted.

"Just because we're engaged, doesn't mean things have to get boring." She wriggled suggestively against his lap and he moaned with pleasure. "Now you're the one in charge and I'm your very willing slave. So, Merlin - what is it you want to do to me? Don't you think I deserve to be punished?"

"Well, perhaps I may have one or two ideas now I come to think of it."

xoxOxox

"So, who have you told?" Merlin asked Morgana later as they lie together in bed after their highly erotic love making session.

"No-one."

"What?"

"Well, no one important. I've just booked people and companies for the day and gave them our names - well, I didn't even give them your surname ... just in case the media got hold of it."

"So all those secret meetings with Gwaine were just about the prenuptial agreement?"

"They were hardly secret," she said lifting her head to look at him with a sly smile. "Merlin, were you jealous?"

"Yes," he replied with a pout. "I thought perhaps ..."

"What?"

"I thought you were going to break up with me."

"What nonsense," she scolded him. "Why on earth would I want to do that?"

"It's just that I knew you were keeping _something_ from me and I thought – I thought you were just waiting until the wedding was over before giving me the bad news."

"You're right, perhaps I don't want to marry you, after all," she said raising her eyes to the ceiling.

"What?"

"I mean, I'm not sure I want a husband that's a _total idiot_."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, but he was grinning all the same.

"Hadn't we been through all this before anyway? You practically proposed to me after the Oxbridge Ball after all."

"I know but, afterwards, we said ..."

"... that was then, this is now," Morgana continued, "but you were right about that dream I had about Arthur and Gwen's wedding. There was more that I didn't tell you."

"Oh?"

"I'm not sure I remember the specifics now but, I did seem to know that we were engaged and ... well, it got me thinking."

"You could have just talked to me about it."

"What would have been the fun in that?" she replied and then laughed and Merlin's grumbled response. "Anyway, as pleasant as lying here with you is, don't you think we'd better be getting up? You've a restaurant to run and we've a wedding to get ready for." She laughed. "Well, actually, we now have two weddings to get ready for, although perhaps we should just focus on Gwen and Arthur's right at the moment?"

"That was actually what I was trying to do before you distracted me," he complained half-heartedly.

xoxOxox

Arthur and Guinevere's wedding day dawned cold but sunny and Kilgharrah's restaurant was a hive of activity as many of its residents and staff prepared for the celebrations. Gwen was now entrenched in her flat with Gwen and Hunith, whilst Merlin started the day with a few essential restaurant tasks before showering and changing into his usher's suit; dark trousers and jacket with white shirt, dark red waistcoat and gold cravat.

"Ah, now you truly are a member of The Round Table," Elyan joked as Merlin joined him downstairs in the foyer. He smiled at the joke, but it faded abruptly as Tom approached them, ready to meet Gwen and give his daughter away.

Merlin hadn't seen his business associate since the inquest into his Father's death last month, where Mr. Leodegrance had been charged and sentenced for withholding vital information from the police, but had otherwise been declared innocent in regards to Balinor's death. Cenred however, had been found fully guilty of that and several other killings and was likely to follow in his own father's footsteps and spend the rest of his life in jail.

"I really am truly sorry, Merlin," the older man began. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I know you only wanted to protect me, Tom, but you really should have told me the truth."

"I know, as I said … I'm sorry. It seems so inadequate but ..."

"I understand." Merlin took a breath and held out a hand. "Let's forget all of that for now, shall we? We've got more pleasant things to focus on today."

"Agreed," he said with a smile. "Shouldn't you two be going? You need to be with Arthur."

"Gwen asked us to wait for a bit," said Elyan, looking nervously at the time, "but I hope she's not going to be too much longer."

Right on cue, the bride appeared at the top of the dramatic Kilgharrah's staircase, dressed in a beautiful cream dress in a similar style to the one she'd worn at the New Year's Party. The whole outfit was a little medieval in design, with bold, red gems sparkling around her neck, wrists, and on a band around her forehead. Despite her beauty, Merlin's eyes immediately strayed to his fiancée standing next to her, wearing the same red as Arthur had requested for all their outfits. Her dress was beautifully elegant and, Merlin found to his embarrassment, far more of a turn-on than the more obviously sexual outfit she had worn at New Year.

Gwen was also accompanied by two other bridesmaids dressed in the same colour; her ten year old cousin and the little five year old daughter of one of Kilgharrah's waitresses but Merlin barely noticed them, struggling to tear his eyes away from Morgana as Gwen approached him and Elyan.

"You look beautiful," Merlin said to the bride, with a broad smile.

"Absolutely," Elyan agreed and she gave them a shy smile in return, giving first her brother then Merlin an enthusiastic hug.

"I needed to see you both beforehand," she said, the nerves now obvious in her voice. "Merlin, again … thank you for everything … if it wasn't for you …?"

"Don't be silly."

"Sorry, we've kept you both too long," she apologised, "and Arthur will be waiting."

"You're right of course." Merlin looked at Morgana and the two simply exchanged a long look, her eyes apparently flicking as hungrily over his body as his were over hers. She simply widened her eyes at him, a slight challenge hanging unspoken and he returned the intense gaze, his heart beating fast at all the promises contained within the look she was currently giving him.

xoxOxox

"Where the hell have you two been," Arthur ranted, as he and Elyan arrived at the venue. "Have you no idea what time it is?"

"Relax ... brother," Elyan replied with a grin. "You've plenty of time. Gwen just wanted to see us before we left and she was only just ready herself at the time."

"How does she look?" Arthur asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon enough," Elyan responded with a grin.

"What's the matter, Merlin, you're a bit quiet?" Gwaine asked.

"Don't ask _him_ what Gwen was wearing either," Elyan said to Arthur with a fond smile. "I doubt he could tell you - too busy drooling over your sister."

"I was not ... drooling."

"Please, I'm feeling sick enough as it is," Arthur complained.

"Fair enough, but do remember that you're marrying my sister today so – it's much the same for me," Elyan retorted.

"Come on, we'd better go inside," Merlin said, Elyan's words finally managing to snap him out of the daydream he'd been lost in since seeing his fiancée at the top of the stairs. "The bride won't be far behind us now and I need to make quite certain that you two got married before anything else goes wrong."

xoxOxox

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Chapter 24: <strong>Marrying: It's Arthur and Guinevere's wedding day.

_**A/N **__Where on earth would I get such a mad plot idea as Morgana's proposal from? Real life, folks. My life to be exact. I proposed in a similar way in 2008 - leaving the marriage confirmation letter for him to find in his lunch box on the 29__th__. No, seriously! :D_

_And that was the other plot line I'd been setting up clues for. As far back as chapter 13 I mentioned that the following year was going to be an Olympic year – and, like next year, that is always a leap year. In chapter 14 Merlin expresses surprise that St. David's Day is two days later than the previous year, and I used an online calendar to hunt for a First of March around the correct time period that fell on a Saturday – and discovered that 2064 was a leap year and worked perfectly for this fic. _

_One more chapter to go. It's basically done, just needs a little padding and I had been waiting for 4.13 to see if it offered me any inspiration.  
><em>

_26/12/11  
><em>


	24. Marrying

**Chapter 24: Marrying**

Merlin stood proudly beside Morgana as he watched his oldest friend and his newest friend get married to each other.

He found himself becoming rather emotional as the situation fully hit him, hastily blinking back the tears as the pair exchanged their vows, and soon finding a tissue pushed into one hand by an amused looking Morgana. His fiancée had obviously noticed that he had started to become tearful and he glared at her a little, despite his embarrassment, more than aware that she was amused by his weakness and, he thought, perhaps even a little turned on too - as if the idea of him being so emotional was appealing to her in some way.

After the ceremony, everybody made their way outside to have photographs taken, before making their way to the reception lunch. After posing with the bride and groom, the other Ushers and various guests, someone called out to Gwen to remind her to throw her bouquet and, turning her back with a delighted laugh, the bride threw the flowers rather wildly into the air and, Merlin noted with concern, not even close to the place where Morgana was currently standing.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

He concentrated very hard and used a little magic to change the flowers' direction in mid-flight. Morgana was so surprise to find the bouquet heading straight at her that she barely had time to lift her hands to catch it before it landed on top of her head. Merlin laughed out loud at her flustered confusion.

"Well now, that was most unusual," Gwaine muttered next to him. "I wonder why it did that?"

"Did what?" Merlin replied innocently.

"You do know what that means, don't you?" the Irishman pushed.

"I don't know about you, Gwaine, but I must admit that I'm feeling rather cold and hungry now," Merlin responded innocently, leaving his friend staring after him with a confused frown on his face.

Despite saying it as a joke, Merlin was genuinely pleased to get back into the warm where all the guests were mingling and indulging in glasses of champagne and Bucks Fizz, whilst the tables were being set up for lunch and the Bride and Groom walked amongst the guest to be congratulated further. Morgana shared her time; spending some of it with the two young bridesmaids, some with Gwen as she mingled with guests, and the rest with her fiancé, surprising Merlin a couple of times by walking quietly up behind him and putting a warm hand gently in his as he talked to some of his friends.

At lunch, Merlin and Morgana were both seated at the top table, Merlin on the other side of Leon with Morgana on the Bride's side next to Gwen. After some very pleasant food, which Merlin would have enjoyed even more if everyone those around him hadn't kept asking him what he thought of it 'as a chef,' it was time for the speeches, and Merlin sat back with a relaxed smile, realising that he was genuinely glad that Leon had agreed to be Arthur's best man, after all.

It was a good speech and, as Merlin had hoped, was full of amusing and embarrassing tales about the young Arthur, along with some lovely comments about Gwen and how much of a positive influence she'd obviously had on her new husband. The bride and groom were due to speak to their guests too, although both fathers had understandably declined that invitation.

That Uther had agreed to attend the wedding at all was more than Arthur could have hoped for in his wildest dreams, and there was certainly no point in making the situation any more awkward than it already was. In fact, much the same could be said for Tom, with both fathers deciding to be quietly dignified throughout the proceedings and allowing their children to take most of the glory, as was only right and proper.

"Finally," Arthur concluded at the end of his speech, "My … wife and I ..." He paused and tipped his head to one side. "That actually sounds quite good, doesn't it?" Everyone laughed. "Anyway, as I was saying, my wife and I would like to thank two very special people, without whom this whole thing probably wouldn't have happened at all. My sister Morgana and our good friend Merlin … please stand you two." Merlin pulled a face, but did as he was bid, sending a slightly nervous look towards Morgana who gave him a surprisingly shy grin in reply as everyone clapped loudly in response to Arthur's pronouncement.

"In fact," Gwen contributed, "I do believe that they have something else to add?" Merlin and Morgana exchanged another look.

"Go ahead," he called over to her with a broad grin. "Seeing it was all your idea in the first place."

"Ah, well, Merlin and I both wish Arthur and Guinevere a very long and happy marriage," Morgana started a little nervously, "and we can only hope to follow their example." There was a slight pause as some people wondered if this was going where they thought it was. "As yesterday was the Twenty-Ninth of February, I took the opportunity to propose to Merlin and he was gracious enough to accept me … once he got over the shock anyway," she added as the whole room erupted into more applause and Merlin found his back firmly slapped from both sides.

"Merlin, how wonderful." Hunith was quickly by his side, throwing her arms around his neck enthusiastically.

"Ah, thanks, Mum."

"So that was why Morgana was so keen to get that prenuptial agreement signed?"

"Apparently."

"Congratulations," Arthur said stretching over in front of Leon to shake his hand. "Although perhaps I should be offering my commiserations instead. Are you quite sure you know what you're letting yourself in for?"

"I heard that, Arthur Pendragon," Morgana's voice floated over from somewhere in the middle of a small crowd of well wishers, and the two young men exchanged a grin as the end of the announcements apparently gave the cue to all the guests that the dinner was over, with most people leaving their chairs and starting to mingle.

"We weren't that sure about announcing it today but Gwen said ..." Merlin started to explain as he and Arthur moved to one side to continue their conversation.

"No, she did ask for my permission and I agreed that this was the perfect opportunity. To be honest, it's rather nice to have a little attention pulled away from us for a few minutes," Arthur continued in a quieter voice, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

"We're planning something even smaller," Merlin replied with a nod. "_Much_ smaller if I have my way."

"My sister does like to be the centre of attention in many things but … I expect she'll be happy enough to compromise in that regard."

"Will you be my best man, Arthur?" Merlin asked a little shyly.

"Me? But, what about Elyan or Will or Gwaine?"

"I'd rather it were you," he replied simply.

"Of course. I'd be honoured," Arthur replied, laying a friendly hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Come, time for a few more drinks before the first dance." He looked him up and down critically. "I take it that you are able to dance, Merlin?"

"Of course I can dance."

"What, and stay upright too?"

"Prat."

"Idiot."

xoxOxox

Arthur was surprisingly graceful on the dance floor, Merlin noted. The blond had approached Gwen with a deep bow, took her hand, and even raised it to his lips to kiss before taking her into a proper, old fashioned, ballroom hold and escorting her around the dance floor.

After a few more bars of music, the ushers and bridesmaids followed, and Merlin did his best to follow Arthur's lead, also kissing Morgana's hand, although he knew that he would not be able to follow Arthur's impressive ballroom stance.

"Don't worry about it," said Morgana, somehow guessing his thoughts. "Arthur's been taking frantic, professional lessons during the last few weeks and, if we really want to go along _this_ route, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to practice. As it is, you're doing pretty well. At least you're not stepping on my toes."

"Well, I'm just glad that you're dancing with me. Arthur was teasing me by saying that, as Maid of Honour, you should really be dancing with Leon."

"Yes, I know," she replied with a wicked smile. "He said that it should be fine because he doubted you were the jealous type. I told him that he had no idea what he was talking about and if he didn't want his best friend to be turned into a toad, he should let me dance with you instead."

"Quite right too," Merlin replied with a firm nod, "but such a fate would be no less than he deserved if he'd dared to lay a hand on my fiancée." Morgana raised her eyes to the ceiling, quite aware that he was exaggerating. "Seriously though, do you want to have a wedding like this, Morgana? Or would you rather a quieter affair?"

"Quieter, I think." She shrugged. "It's odd, sometimes, on occasions like today, my romantic side comes out and I think how lovely all of this would be but, honestly, when I try to imagine myself in this situation and showing myself off like this, I think that … perhaps ..."

"It might be a bit embarrassing?" Merlin suggested.

"You agree? I always thought you really were the romantic type. The way you set those two up – how emotional you got at the ceremony …?" Merlin pulled a face at the reminder.

"I admit that I did enjoy getting those two together and I love making romantic decorations for my customers but, as you said, appreciating such things and actually wanting it for myself?" He shrugged. "Well, they're really two different matters."

"Well, we've got time enough to discuss things – we can even postpone it to next year if you'd rather?"

"Now then, let's not be _too_ hasty," he countered with a grin.

"Looks like Lancelot asked Elaine for the first dance as we hoped," Morgana observed, nodding her head to the other side of the dance floor. Merlin followed her gaze and grinned.

"Good, I was worried about how awkward today might be for him but, perhaps, if he can find love elsewhere ..?" He paused, looking more closely and smiling at what a handsome couple they made. "She's certainly pretty enough to keep him suitably distracted," he commented.

"Do I need to be jealous, Merlin?" Morgana asked, arching an eyebrow and Merlin swallowed hard, realising he had been staring at the young girl rather more than was polite.

"I was simply commenting on the fact that your family doesn't seem to be short of the good looking gene," he replied quickly.

"Smooth recovery. You're forgiven," she replied kissing him gently on the cheek.

xoxOxox

Arthur and Gwen were to spend the night in the honeymoon suite of the hotel where most of the wedding had taken place, before heading to the airport the following morning to start their fortnight long honeymoon visiting those parts of the Middle East that had recently become popular and spectacular tourist destinations following decades of war and violent conflict.

Merlin and Morgana caught a taxi back to Kilgharrah's, both a little drunk and giggly, and were just heading up the staircase toward's Merlin apartment, when Morgana grabbed his hand and lead him towards the next flight of stairs.

"Where are we going?" he slurred.

"Upstairs. I want to show you something," she replied.

She took him up to the very top of the building and the door that led to the Penthouse suite where her studio was situated. Merlin realised that it had been ages since he ventured up here last, his mind going off on a tangent as he tried to work out exactly when he had last been here and why he had not checked up on her business a little more often and directly during the last few months.

Morgana fumbled with her keys for a moment before opening the door with a loud, 'ta-da!' and Merlin gaped at the sight before him; the whole of the main suite now beautifully redecorated and furnished as a liveable apartment. The ground floor was an large open planned living area with huge, comfy sofas looking out through the wall-to-floor glass window onto the Thames, and an incredible, modern, large kitchenette tucked under the mezzanine balcony. Even from his current position by the door, Merlin could see that much of that first floor seemed to be taken up by a very large bed and he knew that the enclosed room next to it, the one directly above Morgana's studio, would most likely be housing an en-suite bathroom. His heart started to pound as he realised just how perfect this space really was now.

"I thought you said something about doing a 'little bit of decorating'?" he commented.

"Yes, I did."

"But, Morgana, this is ..?"

"You once said I could move in here eventually, if that was what I wanted," Morgana reminded him.

"Yeah," he replied rather breathlessly, still looking around the place in awe. "I believe I did."

"But, when I started to organise this, I admit that I had no intention of living here on my own. I want this to be ours, Merlin, and you once implied that you might want that too but … Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," he said. "Perfect, and yes, Let's move in here straight away." He pulled her into a close embrace, stroking her hair as he did so. "In fact, I think we should try out that bed right now, don't you?"

"I was hoping you might say that," she breathed, moving even closer to kiss his neck. Merlin pulled on every bit of magic he could and forced it to do his will, holding firmly to Morgana as the spell took effect, the dizziness from such a feat greater than any he'd experienced apart from that time at The Green Knight – although this time he was quite determined not to faint.

Morgana gasped as she realised that Merlin had just transported them both from the front door right up to the bed on the mezzanine level instantly.

"Uther was right about that play on words," she said, staring at him in awe. "Never mind the cookery, you really are a magician aren't you?"

"I think it's getting easier," he agreed, still a little out of breath. "If I keep practising ..." He shook away the last of the dizziness with a big grin. "Anyway, I did have ulterior motives for bringing you up here."

"Of that I had no doubt," Morgana replied. "Go on then, Sorcerer, I dare you to show me some real magic."

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN** _Thank you for your support and lovely comments on this one – it's been fun. Kilgharrah's was initially inspired by the show up to series 3 but, now series 4 is over in the UK, I hope that will start to influence my story lines too. Feel free to visit my 'to do' list on my PP and let me know if there's anything there that you like or anything you would like me to add to it. It is getting rather large, but all of the ideas are appealing to me and are likely to be tackled at some point._


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